Nick's Pizza
by Jammequin
Summary: AU Lizzington story. Liz works as a psychologist and Ray is the owner of her favourite pizza restaurant. I own nothing of The Blacklist.
1. Chapter 1

Liz was absolutely starving. She'd had an exceptionally long day at work, dealing with an unprecedented number of new patients. She was glad her private psychologist's practice had taken off but on days like today, she was almost starting to regret taking on as many patients as she had. She walked to the fridge and took out a chilled bottle of her favourite Chardonnay. If that pizza didn't hurry up, she'd be halfway down the bottle and falling asleep before it arrived.

Just as she had finished pouring herself a glass and had taken a large drink from it, the doorbell rang. Thank god, she thought to herself as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and headed for the door to her apartment. She was pulling the cash out before she got to the door and pulled it open, a little impatiently.

'Hey, Donald', she said without looking up, 'Thank god you're here. I was about to start chewing my own arm off….'

Just as she was finishing her sentence, she looked up. It wasn't Donald that was standing in front of her. Where was her regular pizza guy? This guy was a good ten years older. Short hair, dressed in smart clothes rather than the uniform of the pizza store, an amused twinkle in his eye.

'Sorry to disappoint, Miss Keen, but Donald couldn't make it tonight. We're really busy in the restaurant and he's been called into the kitchen. I'm Ray, the owner of Nick's Pizza'.

Liz smiled at him and said, 'Oh, okay, Ray. I'm sure I can cope with the absence of Donald. As long as you've got my pizza. I've not eaten since ten this morning!'

Ray handed her the box. 'Fifteen dollars, Ma'am. And I'm sorry for the delay. Coupla staff called in sick and it's all hands to the pumps. This is my first delivery in over thirty years', he said as he smiled at her.

'Wow, you've been working there that long? I can't believe I've never seen you when I've been at the restaurant?'

'Oh, no, no. I worked there as a teenager before I joined the Navy. My father owned the store. My father being Nick', Ray said as he accepted the money from Liz. 'Sadly he died a couple of weeks ago, leaving the place to me and as I'm not working at the moment, I thought I'd come and help out until I can find a buyer for it'.

'Oh, Ray, I'm so sorry to hear about Nick. He was a wonderful man. I can't believe I hadn't heard. I've been flat out at work the last few weeks so haven't been into your restaurant for quite a while now'.

'Thank you for your condolences, Miss Keen. Yeah, my Dad was a great guy. But running his restaurant keeps my mind off his death. And it's a lot more fun than I thought it could be back when I was a teenager', Ray said as he laughed lightly.

'Anyway, enjoy your pizza. I hope to see you in the restaurant soon, once your work situation calms down. Have a good night now'

'Thank you, Ray. I'll definitely be back in as soon as I can. I'm addicted to your pizzas!'

Ray laughed as he started moving back down the stairs, 'That'll be the secret ingredient'.

Liz laughed too as she shut the door and went to the kitchen to fetch a plate and some kitchen paper for her hands. Well, that was a turn up for the books, she thought to himself. What a handsome devil Ray was. She decided she'd make sure she visited Nick's Pizza as soon as she possibly could.

Three days later saw Liz coming home, looking forward to her Friday evening. She had managed to get out of the office on time today and now had two days off. She was desperately in need of some downtime. She let herself into her apartment and threw her bag down on the couch. Reaching into it, she pulled out her cellphone and quickly checked to see if Samar had replied to her earlier text message. She grinned as she saw that she had. However, upon reading it, it wasn't the news she was hoping for. Despite saying that she was going to try to meet up with Liz tonight in the new bar that had just opened on Main Street, Samar had sent her a message saying she'd have to postpone their drinks as her mother wasn't well and she needed to go visit her.

Liz sighed and sat down on the couch. Great, another evening spent at home. And after the week she'd had, she had so been anticipating a night of drinks and giggles with her best friend. Now she had no dinner plans either. Glancing around the room, her eyes landed on the takeout menu for Nick's Pizza that was on her sideboard. Oh, well, now there was an idea. She could go to the restaurant. Might even see that nice Ray….. Gah, what am I thinking, she swiftly chastised herself. I know nothing about the man. He could be married with ten kids! Still, going to the restaurant wasn't a bad idea. It wouldn't be as much fun eating on her own but it certainly wouldn't be the first time she'd done it. She made her mind up there and then and headed to her bedroom to change.

Fifteen minutes later and she was ready to go. Nick's Pizza was a smart/casual kinda joint. Definitely a cut above your average pizza restaurant but certainly not the kind of place that made you feel like you had to dress up. However, Liz had made an effort. She gazed in the mirror and checked herself out. She was wearing one of her favourite dresses, a beautiful red number with just enough cleavage to be sexy whilst remaining classy. Paired with her black heels and some gorgeous silver jewellery Samar had bought her for her last birthday, she looked an absolute knockout. She'd never made this much effort before to go to the restaurant but told herself she just felt like spoiling herself after the week she'd had. She called a cab and headed downstairs to wait for it.

After a short drive, she hopped out the cab and paid the driver, heading straight into the restaurant. The nearest waiter to the door spotted her as soon as she came in and headed on over.

'Table for how many, Madam?'

'Just for one, please'

'Certainly. Please follow me'

He led her to the side of the restaurant and seated her at a table for two. Liz instinctively sat with her back against the wall so she could face out and people watch. Not that she was looking for anyone in particular, she tried to convince herself. Having ascertained that she recognised no one in the restaurant she turned her attention to the menu.

The waiter returned after a few minutes with some water and asked for her order. Liz still hadn't decided what she wanted so she just went with her usual, the quattro stagioni. She laughed at herself as she ordered. No matter how hard she tried to be more adventurous with her choices, she almost always ended up with this one. Ah, well, it's always good, she thought to herself as she took a sip of her water and raised her eyes to the restaurant once more. Still no sign of Ray. Surely he'd be working on a Friday, wouldn't he? It had to be one of their busiest nights; both in the restaurant itself and for their takeout service.

The waiter came back with her pizza and the half-bottle of Chardonnay she'd ordered. She immediately started eating, as hungry as ever after a hard day at work. Within forty-five minutes she'd finished her pizza and her wine and there was still no sign of Ray. Fine, she thought, if that's not a sign I'm not being silly here, then I don't know what is. She signalled for the bill and prepared to leave.

Once she'd left the restaurant, she really didn't feel like going home just yet. She was dressed to the nines and felt like she should try to make more of a night of it. Maybe she would try that new bar after all? Even without Samar meeting her there, she might see someone she knew, she had a few other friends in the town. Determined to make the most of her Friday night, she turned confidently in the direction of the bar and started striding towards it.

'The Post Office', the sign said as she got close enough to read it. Despite the fact that that seemed an odd name for a bar, she thought she vaguely remembered hearing that the town's first post office was indeed located on this site. And it did look really nice inside. Low-lighting, expensive-looking furniture, some interesting artwork…. Oh, there was the clincher! There was a live band playing in an hour. She was a sucker for live music. Right, she thought, we're gonna give this a go.

Entering into the bar, she quickly glanced around to see if there was anyone here she knew. The bar was really busy, despite it still being relatively early in the evening. That was a good sign, hopefully there would be a good atmosphere for when the band started playing. She headed to the bar and got the attention of the barman.

'Hi there, could I get a glass of Chardonnay, please?'

'Of course, Miss'

He returned with her drink and she started to pull a ten dollar bill out of her purse only to feel a hand stopping her.

'Allow me', a deep, rich voice said from right next to her.

She turned towards the voice, a little shocked that someone had gotten that close to her without her noticing. She found herself staring into the eyes of Ray. He smiled back at her and handed his own ten dollar bill to the barman.

'It's the least I can do for such a loyal customer', he said to Liz as he took the drink from the barman and handed it to her.

Liz smiled at him and took a sip. 'Thank you, Ray. So, what brings you here tonight?'


	2. Chapter 2

Ray turned away from the bar and indicated that Liz join him at his table. It was near the back of the bar, close to where the band would be setting up soon.

'Well, since I've been back and running the restaurant, this is only my second night off. And whilst the idea of the couch and a good movie was a little tempting, I saw that this place has a blues band on later. And I adore the piano'.

He pulled out a chair for Liz and then sat down himself.

'I love the piano too', she said as she turned to Ray, drinking in his appearance. He was wearing a smart black shirt and black slacks, his shirt collar open and a few buttons undone. He really was a sexy man. 'In fact, that's what really made me come in here. I wasn't sure when I first arrived'.

'Oh, I see. You're certainly dressed as though you intended to spend the night out somewhere nice', Ray said as he allowed his eyes to travel down her form.

'Well, I was supposed to be meeting my friend here but she cancelled. I actually went to your restaurant for dinner. Then I was at a loose end. Decided I may as well check out this new place seeing as I was out anyway'.

'You came to the restaurant? Oh, such a shame I wasn't there. I hope the service and food were exemplary?'

'Oh, as always', Liz said as she beamed back at him. 'I really must pass on my compliments to the owner next time I see him'.

Ray laughed and clinked her wine glass with his own, 'I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that'.

'So, Ray, how long is it since you've lived here? Do you know anyone in town?'

'Well, I joined the Naval Academy at twenty-three. Haven't lived here since then. However, as my father was still here, I've been back to visit plenty times. Never for too long though. It is odd being back for this long, if I'm honest. After all those years travelling the world, being back here feels…. Well, I'm not really sure. I guess it makes me a little sad if I'm honest. Being back here for this long but without my father is rather lonely. My mother passed away when I was only eight so he was the only family I had'.

As Ray finished his sentence he looked away from Liz and he saw his cheek twitch a little. She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.

'No friends in town?'

'Not really. Some acquaintances but not friends. I was rather bookish at school, never seemed to fit into any of the traditional cliques'.

'And yet you joined the Navy?', Liz asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

'Ha, yes. That was rather an impulsive move', Ray laughed. 'My mother's father was a Commander in the Navy and I guess I thought it might make me feel closer to her side of the family. I'm not sure it ever really did but I did love my time serving. A life on the ocean is never dull'.

'And what rank did you reach, if you don't mind me asking?'

'Ah, well, I was an Admiral. Briefly. However, once I'd achieved that rank, I have to say I grew a little bored. Being a Captain is where my heart really lay but as an Admiral, you're bound to a desk, not a ship. Wasn't really my thing. So I retired a year ago. Haven't done anything since'.

Ray looked up at Liz and found her peering at him closely. 'What?', he asked, an inquisitive smile playing about his mouth.

'I've never met an Admiral before. Or a General. Or…whatever the Air Force equivalent is. That's really rather impressive, isn't it?'

Ray laughed again and looked away. 'Oh, I don't know about that. I worked hard and I loved my work. And I guess I was good at it. To tell you the truth, running that restaurant sometimes seems more complicated than running a ship'.

Liz laughed at him and took another sip of her Chardonnay. She looked away briefly and saw that the band had started to set up.

'Anyway, Miss Keen. Enough about me. Tell me something about yourself', Ray asked as he settled forward on the table, his arm leaning so close to Liz's hand they were almost touching.

'Well, first of all, please call me Liz, not Miss Keen', she asked and smiled at him.

'Done, Liz'

'And about me…. Well, I've lived here all my life, other than when I was away at Harvard. I love this town. My father passed away just over a year ago and I never really knew my mother. Dad would never talk about her much. She killed herself when I was only five'.

'Oh, dear lord, I'm so sorry to hear that. That must've been horrific', Ray said and was tempted to lay his hand upon hers but stopped himself from doing so.

'I do remember a little of how I felt at the time but to be honest I was too young to really appreciate what it meant. However, I do think maybe it was that experience, however little I truly recall of it, that led me to become what I am today'.

'Which is?'

'Oh, I'm a Psychologist. I have a practice here in town. I really love the work. When you get results in that line of work, it's so wonderfully satisfying', Liz said and couldn't help the smile that brightened her face as she did so.

'Ah, yes, I can see that. And a Psychologist eh? Who went to Harvard? You must be a very intelligent woman', Ray said as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

'Well, I don't know about that but I guess I can hold my own in a intellectual debate', Liz said as she felt a blush passing across her face.

'I'll have to remember that before I challenge you to one' Ray laughed. 'Now, how about another round of drinks? I think the band is about to start'.

'Oh, yes, please. But let me, you bought the last round'

'No, no, I insist. You've been patronising my family's restaurant for some time now. I think I should be allowed to buy you more than one drink'. As Ray said this he winked at Liz and headed to the bar, brooking no argument.

As Liz sat and waited for him to return, she couldn't help but review how the evening had gone so far. She had, she could now admit to herself, gone to Nick's Pizza with the main intent of 'bumping into' Ray. And when he wasn't there, had pretended it hadn't been too much of a disappointment. But after the way this evening was now going, she had to admit that him being in this bar instead had thrilled her. Despite the fact he looked to be maybe twenty years older than her, she was hugely attracted to him. And the fact he had been an Admiral in the Navy? Boy, would she love to see some pictures of him in his dress whites….

As she was lost in these thoughts, Ray returned to the table and placed her glass in front of her. 'I got you another Chardonnay, I hope that's okay…..? Liz, you there?', he waved his hand in front of her face.

'Oh, Ray, I'm so sorry, I was daydreaming. Absolutely miles away, do excuse me'

'Dare I ask what you were thinking about? You had a look of utmost concentration on your face', Ray said, chuckling at her.

'Oh, er, nothing important…. Just work stuff'. Liz could feel another blush creeping up her chest and swiftly picked up her wine and took a sip in order to distract herself and hopefully Ray from her predicament.

Ray looked at her with a curious smile on his face but didn't say any more on the topic.

'Oh, look, the band are about to play'

Liz turned her head to look at the small stage and then turned her chair slightly so she could face them properly, rather than having to twist her neck. This gave Ray the opportunity to take her in without her noticing. His eyes ran up from her ankles to her hair and he unconsciously licked his lips as he allowed them to take some time over her curves and the smoothness of her skin.

The band then started to play and as they were seated so close to the stage, it became too loud for them to talk to each other anymore. Occasionally Liz would turn and smile at Ray or give him the thumbs up sign after a particularly good song but in general they sat and took in the music without communicating too much.

After an hour the band finished and Liz leant down to pick up her bag. 'Okay, I'm going to have to go home now. I am exhausted', she said as she looked up at Ray.

'Yes, I think I'll join you. Er, I, er, mean I should get home too'. Now it was Ray's turn to blush slightly and Liz had to bite her lip so as not to laugh, both at his near faux pas and at the fact he had blushed. She thought he looked adorable though and couldn't let him suffer long.

'Don't worry, I know what you meant', she said, smiling broadly at him.

They left the bar together and both turned to walk back towards Ray's restaurant.

'Do you live far away, Lizzy?'

'Lizzy? Oh my, no one's called me that for years'

'Oh, I am sorry. Liz. Not sure where that came from', Ray said as he laughed at himself.

'No, it's fine. Actually, I kinda like it. You can call me that if you like'. Liz realised what she'd just said had implied they'd be seeing more of each other, one way or another. Ah, well, if you don't buy a ticket….

'Okay, Lizzy it is. So, where do you live?'

'Not too far away but I'm going to need to get a cab. Especially in these heels'.

'Well, I was going to walk but maybe we could share a cab? Could drop you off first? I should really insist on seeing a lady to her door if I'm going to be a gentleman after all'

'Sounds good. But where do you live? It might be the opposite direction?'

'Out on Rosemont Drive'

'Really? That's just beyond my street. That works perfectly'

Liz grinned up at Ray and he smiled back at her before heading to the taxi rank that they had been approaching. He ducked his head in the window and said something to the driver and then turned back to Liz and motioned her towards the car. He opened the door for her and then went around to the other side to slide in the backseat next to her.

The ride didn't take long and neither of them could think of what to say next. They both wanted to ask some kind of question about seeing each other again but they both realised during the cab ride that they hadn't actually had a conversation about whether or not the other was married, in a relationship or whatever. Despite the fact the topic would probably have come up had that been the case, for either of them, this doubt kept them both quiet.

Once they got to Liz's apartment block, the cab pulled over and she leant forward to hand the driver some money.

'Well, goodnight Ray. I'm sure I'll see you soon. You know how I love your pizza', Liz said and smiled sweetly at him. 'And thank you for a wonderful evening. It was really good to get to know you'.

'You too, Lizzy. And yes, I hope I see you soon. Have a good night now'.

Liz shut the door and turned towards her block. A huge smile broke out on her face and she couldn't help but feel that maybe this was the start of something very exciting.

Ray sat back in his seat after Liz had gotten out of the car. He too smiled to himself as he realised that he had hopefully made his first friend in town. A friend that could turn out to be so much more.


	3. Chapter 3

Liz spent the rest of the weekend catching up on some household chores, paperwork and sleep. She only ventured out a couple of times; once to the store for groceries and once to sit in her local park to enjoy some sunshine and read her book. Despite the fact it was a productive weekend, both in terms of things she had to get done and in terms of allowing herself some time to relax, she found her mind wandered often to her night out on Friday with Ray. On a couple of occasions she had come close to calling the restaurant and asking to speak to him but hadn't quite managed to follow through. She still didn't know if he had a significant other, although she had the gut feeling that he didn't. He had said he was lonely, right? Surely that's as good an indication as she should need that he was single.

Before she knew it, it was Monday morning and she was sitting back in her office at eight-forty, waiting for her first patient of the week, who was running ten minutes late. As she sat at her desk, thumbing through the notes she'd made so far on this patient, her eyes kept glancing over to her phone. Dammit, Liz, just call the restaurant! She put the folder down and reached for the phone and…. A knock on the door. Her patient was here. Half of her was relieved, the other half frustrated. Sighing quietly to herself she went to open the door and get her working week started.

By lunchtime she was desperate for some fresh air and locked the office up and headed towards town. She had no real destination in mind and so just decided to walk up and down Main Street. As she drew nearer to Nick's Pizza, she found herself getting butterflies in her stomach. Oh, for goodness' sake, Liz, you're not a teenager, she chided herself but found that actually she really didn't mind. It had been a long time since she'd felt this way. It was pretty exhilarating if she was honest. As she came level with the big glass windows at the front of the restaurant, she turned her head and eagerly looked inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ray. At first she couldn't see any staff except for one of the regular waitresses, who was carrying a large jug of water towards a table in the corner. Then she saw him. She could swear her heart skipped a beat. He was once more dressed in a smart shirt and slacks, although the shirt now was a beautiful sky blue. Even from a distance and through the tinted window, he looked as handsome as she remembered. He was talking to a woman who was seated at one of the tables by the wall and as she was watching she saw the woman pat the seat next to her and Ray move over to sit there. Liz screwed up her eyes and tried to see better the expressions on their faces. Ray was smiling but she couldn't really see what the woman was doing as she was mostly turned away from Liz.

Realising that standing at the window and staring in like this was anything but subtle, Liz swiftly stepped to the pillar next to the door and pretended to look at the menu that was fixed on there. From this angle, she could still see the pair of them but she would be mostly obscured. The woman Ray was talking to turned her head slightly back towards Liz and she could see that she was laughing. Oh, God, Liz thought – that's Amber Gordon. Amber was pretty notorious about town for being a man-eater. Surely Ray wasn't involved with her, was he? As she continued to stare in at them, Amber turned back towards Ray and Liz saw her put her hand on his thigh, much further up than could be deemed appropriate if they were just acquaintances, let alone owner and customer. Liz turned away and walked off straight across the street, trying to ensure that Ray wouldn't be able to see her. Once she got to the other side of the street, she turned back towards her office and walked swiftly. She almost felt like crying. She knew it was an over the top reaction but she couldn't help it. She had gotten her hopes up about Ray, had really thought that maybe there was a spark there. Guess she was wrong.

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur. She was almost on autopilot with her patients, which she knew wasn't fair to them but she couldn't help it. The second it got to five o'clock and her last appointment finished, she quickly locked up the office and headed home.

As she came in her front door, she placed her bag on the side and glanced around her apartment. All of a sudden, it seemed so much smaller and more empty. She realised she had spent the whole weekend wondering what it would be like to invite Ray here. To have him in her space. To…. No, she thought, do not let your mind go there! With a sudden burst of energy, and some anger, she headed to her closet and pulled out a dress and various accessories to go with it. She needed to be out of here.

Within forty minutes she had gotten dressed, called a cab and was now back in front of The Post Office. She had thought about going somewhere else but she decided that coming here was maybe a good idea. If she was gonna erase Ray from her thoughts then she needed to make some new memories quickly. And here was as good a place as any. She went straight in and headed straight over to the bar, ordering a whole bottle of Chardonnay. She knew this was not terribly wise behaviour and she was pretty certain she was going to regret it in the morning but right now, she just didn't care.

Having been given the bottle and a glass, she turned and looked for an empty table. The one she had sat at with Ray on Friday was empty but she really didn't want to sit there. Thankfully there was another one further along the wall and she walked on over, dropped her bag on the floor and settled herself in her seat, immediately pouring herself a large glass of wine.

'Hey Liz, drinking alone?'

'Oh, hi Pete. Yeah, I guess so. Unless you wanna join me?'

Pete was an old friend of Liz's. They'd almost dated once in High School but had never seemed to find the right moment. He was now happily married with two kids but she still saw him and his wife occasionally.

'How've you been? Feels like ages since we had you over?'

'Yeah, I know, my practice has really taken off. I've been working all hours for the last month or so. How're Penny and the kids?'

'Oh, they're good. Would love to see you though'.

As their conversation continued, Pete pulled up a seat next to Liz's and sat down. Before too long, they were chatting away happily about anything and everything. Pete had quickly returned to the bar and bought himself a beer but then come straight back over. After an hour or so they were both pretty tipsy and laughing at each other's jokes in the way only old friends can. Anyone watching them would probably have thought they were a couple.

Liz was so engrossed in their conversation and now so inebriated that she didn't see the man silhouetted in the window. He stood there for a couple of minutes and then moved away hurriedly. As he moved, Liz caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye but as she turned towards the window to look at where she thought she had seen someone, the space was empty. Great, she thought to herself, now I'm hallucinating.

Unlike Liz, Ray's weekend had been crazily busy. Having taken Friday night off, he was working all day and night Saturday and Sunday and barely had a moment spare to think of anything, even his surprisingly wonderful Friday evening. All the time he was in the restaurant he was hoping to see Liz come in but sadly she didn't. Ah, well, he thought to himself. Maybe I was misreading the signs. Maybe she has a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or who knows… Just play it cool, Ray. She'll be back in soon enough and we can see where this might be going.

Come Monday morning he was back at work again and very grateful for a quieter day after the constant rush of customers all weekend. He spent some time checking stock and making some orders, dealing with employee payroll and pondering this week's specials. At lunchtime he got bored of paperwork and so decided he'd spend some time in the restaurant, mingling with the customers and helping out the waiting staff.

He hadn't been out in the restaurant long when he saw Amber Gordon come in. Oh, God, he thought, not again. She had been in at least five times in the last two weeks and was always desperately trying to flirt with him. But she really wasn't his type. She was far too forward and dressed, well, somewhat revealingly. Which, in the right circumstances, was not something he minded. But a weekday lunchtime didn't seem the right time for anyone to see that much cleavage. Sighing, he headed for the door to greet her.

'Miss Gordon, back so soon?'

'Why, yes, Ray, of course. You know how I love coming here. And I just couldn't keep away from you, you handsome devil', she replied with a wink whilst running her hand down his forearm.

Ray diplomatically retracted his arm from her hand and used it to point to a table at the side of the restaurant.

'Would you like to sit over here today? We have plenty of free tables to choose from'

'Thank you, darling, yes, that'd be just fine'.

Ray seated her and handed her a menu. She made sure to run her finger along his as she took it from him but he managed not to react, just smiling back at her neutrally.

'I'll leave you to have a look at the menu for a few minutes and fetch you some table water. Would you like anything else to drink?'

As he was saying this, Amber was running her eyes up his form with no shame or subtlety.

'Mmm, yes, there are plenty of things I could be tempted by. Why don't you bring me the wine menu too, Ray?'

Ray turned away and headed for the bar. Man, she was hard work. He couldn't just tell her to back off as she was a customer and, in fairness, she hadn't done anything too outrageous. Ah, well, she'll only be here an hour or so he told himself. He did, however, send another waiter to her table with the wine menu and asked him to take her order too. He really didn't want to spend the whole of the next hour fending off her advances.

Ray soon busied himself with other restaurant business and even helped out behind the bar for a bit. A few customers just came in for a quick lunchtime drink and so he had found that working behind the bar was a good way to get chatting to some of them. There weren't many outright drinking establishments in town and so his bar was popular amongst people who only wanted a quick pick-me-up before heading back to work or home.

Just as he'd finished pouring a beer for one customer he happened to glance up and saw that Amber was beckoning to him. Oh, God, now what, he thought to himself. He hastened over to her with a forced smile on his face.

'Everything all right, Miss Gordon?'

'Well, mostly, Ray. But I'd hoped to see more of you, sweetheart', she said in a purring voice.

'I'm so sorry, I've been busy helping out the other staff'

'Well, it's much quieter now, why don't you come sit next to me', she said as she patted the seat next to her.

'Oh, I'm not sure I have time for that, there are many things to be taken care of'

'Ray, you own this place. You can make time', she said as she batted her eyelids at him.

Just suck it up Ray, just a few minutes…..

'Of course, was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?' Ray said as he sat next to her on the cushioned bench by the wall.

'Oh, Ray, you are so coy', she said as she turned slightly away from him and laughed. 'You can't pretend that there's no attraction here. I've seen the way you look at me'. As she finished speaking, she ran her hand up his thigh. Ray immediately got to his feet and stepped away from the table.

'I'm sorry, Miss Gordon. I didn't mean….'

He saw movement at the front of the restaurant and looked up. There was a woman walking quickly away across the street. Was that Lizzy?

'What were you saying, Ray?'

'I, er, I, I didn't mean to give a false impression. I'm sorry if you feel I've led you on. Now please excuse me, there's something I need to attend to'.

Ray walked quickly to the front of the restaurant and stepped onto the street. The woman had disappeared. Dammit, had that been Lizzy? He sighed to himself and stepped back into the restaurant. He walked quickly to the back, flashing a quick smile at Amber, and headed to his private office.

He didn't want to believe that it had been Lizzy he'd seen but it had really looked like her from behind. He ran his hand across his shorn hair and briefly thought about kicking the waste basket. Had she seen Amber touching him? Damn that woman, he thought. He decided he wasn't going to leave his office until she'd left the restaurant. If he lost a regular customer because of that he really didn't care in that moment.

As evening approached he headed back out to the restaurant and quickly took in all the customers. Amber was gone, thank god. He quickly busied himself with helping out the staff and greeting people at the door. However, he just couldn't get his mind off having seen Lizzy earlier. He was now sure it had been her. He had to speak to her, make sure she didn't think he was seeing Amber. Despite the fact their potential relationship hadn't even started yet, he knew that seeing her now was critical if ever it were to do so.

He suddenly had inspiration and told his staff he'd be back in ten minutes, heading for the door and, once through it, turning towards The Post Office. He didn't have a number for her but he could at least see if she had gone back to the bar where they'd previously met.

As he approached the bar his heart started accelerating. What if she was in there? What if she wasn't interested? Had he totally misread the signs? Man up, Ray, you're an ex Navy Admiral, for God's sake, you can do this.

He got to the window and peered in. At first he couldn't see much as it was pretty dark in the bar. He looked around briefly and was just about to bite the bullet and head in when he saw her. She was sitting near the table where they'd sat on Friday night. Sitting with another man. His brow furrowed and his heart sank. They looked really cosy together. Was this her boyfriend? Had she just met him? For now, it didn't seem to matter. Whether that had been her earlier or not, she certainly seemed really close to this guy, the way they were laughing together and looking at each other. As his heart sank even further in his chest he turned away from the window and hurried back to the restaurant, eager to distract himself with anything but thoughts of her.


	4. Chapter 4

For the next week Liz and Ray buried themselves in their work. Although they both felt deeply disappointed over how things had turned out, neither of them felt able to do anything about it except just accept it for what it was.

The following Monday was Memorial Day and there was to be a ceremony in the town square with all the dignitaries and veterans in attendance. Liz was to be presented with an award for the pro bono work she'd done for veterans with PTSD, Depression and other mental issues caused by their time in service. She wasn't working that day so in the morning she chose her favourite blouse and skirt and a smart pair of heels and headed into town to have a late breakfast before the various ceremonial parts of the day started.

Arriving in the town square with an hour to spare she sat at one of the outside tables of her favourite café and ordered an omelette and some coffee. As usual, she sat with her back to the wall so she could look out and observe the goings-on around her. She saw a few familiar faces but nobody she was in the mood to talk to today. Once her food arrived she eagerly tucked in and forgot all about her surroundings, instead looking through the running order of events on a pamphlet that had been left on the table.

As she got to the bit where she was to be presented with her award, her eyes grew wide. No, it couldn't be? She was due to be given her award by Ex-US Navy Admiral Raymond Reddington. Oh, God, this was just too much. The first time she'd see him since he and Amber Gordon were getting cosy with each other and it would be in front of hundreds, if not thousands of people. She suddenly lost her appetite and set down her fork, sitting back in her chair. As she looked up and sighed she caught sight of a man in a white suit cutting through the crowd in front of her. There he was; Ex-US Navy Admiral Raymond Reddington. And didn't he look good enough to eat. Suddenly she felt like crying again. She'd pictured him in his dress whites just over a week ago but her fantasy didn't come close to reality. Oh boy, today was gonna be the worst.

As Ray finished dressing in his whites and ensuring his uniform was immaculate, his thoughts once more turned to Liz. He'd found out yesterday that he was to be awarding her today for her charitable work for military veterans. Part of him had wanted to find her and talk to her first so that things wouldn't be too awkward on the stage but the other part of him just said that he was being irrational. That night obviously hadn't really meant anything to her and he was clearly making a mountain out of a mole hill. He sighed and took one last look in the mirror. He hadn't thought he'd be wearing this uniform again quite so soon but the town's Mayor had insisted, once he knew Ray was back in town, that he should be the special guest at their ceremony. Grabbing his phone and bill fold, he locked his door and set out for the town square.

The crowds were already building for the ceremony and the weather was glorious. He saw a few other Navy vets and headed over to chat to them. Of course, in an Admiral's uniform, it wasn't easy to make small talk; they were all instantly calling him 'Sir' and saluting. He decided he'd try again later, maybe in a bar, where their tongues might be looser and they could all relax and tell some good ol' stories of their time on the waves. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was only half an hour until the ceremony was due to begin and so he started to head through the crowd towards the stage at the far end of the square. The Mayor and other town officials were already there, along with some other more senior veteran officers and some servicemen and women who were clearly still in the service.

As he neared Mary Lou's Café, he happened to glance up and saw Liz just beginning to stand up and turn back towards the door to go inside, presumably to pay. His pace slowed and he stared at her as she disappeared. She was wearing a beautiful blouse and skirt outfit and she damn near took his breath away. He came to a halt and debated with himself whether or not he should follow her into the café in order to speak with her before they came face to face on stage. However, before he had time to make a decision, Amber Gordon appeared out of nowhere and before he knew what was going on, she had linked her arm through his and was chattering away and running her hands over his uniform. He tried to be polite but he had really had enough of this woman.

'Miss Gordon, so nice to see you but I'm afraid I'm going to be late for the ceremony if I don't get to the stage soon'

'Oh, Ray, surely you've got plenty of time yet? I cannot believe how well you scrub up in that uniform. Mmm Mmm Mmm', she said, practically drooling over him.

Something inside Ray snapped. He had no interest in Amber and having just seen Liz again he was filled with a sudden anger at the universe at the turn of events. Reaching out and holding Amber's upper arms he held her gently away from him.

'Miss Gordon. Whilst it is eminently flattering the way you seem to find me attractive, I'm sorry to say I have no interest in a relationship with you. I don't mean to be rude but I would be most grateful if you would please stop touching me so inappropriately'.

With that he stepped back, nodded once at her and stalked off towards the stage. Amber looked after him briefly then ground her heel into the sidewalk and shouted after him, 'Your loss, Raymond, your loss'. She then turned away, a look of thunder on her face and walked off fast in the opposite direction to where Ray had headed.

Liz had come out of the café just in time to catch Ray's words to Amber and Amber's last retort to him. Now she was hugely confused. What had Ray meant when he'd said he had no interest in Amber? Surely they already were an item, weren't they? The way her hands were all over him, both at the restaurant and just now? Suddenly Liz realised she may have jumped to a very wrong conclusion. Of course Amber's hands were all over Ray. That was how she operated. Whether the man she was hunting was willing or not, she was always pouring herself over her prey. Dammit, Liz – why didn't you stop and think?! She glanced over to where Ray had gone but he'd already disappeared into the throng. She realised she wouldn't have time now to find him and talk to him but resolved that after the ceremony she would get up the courage to have a proper conversation.

She headed towards the stage herself, knowing that she was to be seated somewhere on the front row. As she drew nearer she saw Pete and Penny and their two kids and diverted towards them to have a quick chat. Penny saw her first and came straight over and gave Liz a huge hug.

'Liz, it's been so long since we saw you. Pete said he'd bumped into you at that new bar the other day. How are you?'

Liz smiled back at Penny and started to give her a brief update on her life over the last month or so. As they were chatting, Pete and the kids came over too and joined in the conversation. After a few minutes, Liz excused herself, explaining she needed to find her chair near the stage and, having briefly kissed them both on the cheek, she walked off.

Ray watched this exchange from the stage with a keen interest and a growing realisation. That man that Liz had just spoken to was quite clearly with the woman he didn't recognise. Judging by their body language and the kids, they were very much an item. Maybe the other night in the bar, Liz hadn't been on a date or flirting, she'd just been catching up with an old friend. Goddamn it, Ray, why did you have to go and assume the worst? Suddenly he felt like a complete idiot and was about to go down to find Liz when the Mayor stepped up to him and grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down in a very eager manner.

'Admiral Reddington, I am so happy you could be here today to be our guest of honour. You have no idea how much it means….'

As the Mayor droned on, Ray's eyes flitted over to where Liz was sitting and caught her looking at him. He smiled at her, a big genuine smile. To his surprise, she instantly returned the smile and even gave a little wave. Suddenly he couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over so he could get her one on one and they could sort out all this apparent confusion.

Once the ceremony started, the mood turned sombre and all thoughts of love and relationships were put aside. Speeches were made, music played by a military band, flags saluted. When the main part of the ceremony was over, the few awards that were to be given were brought onto the stage. After handing out a couple of awards to veterans who had started various programmes for self-improvement and learning opportunities, Liz was up next. She walked onto the stage, eyes firmly locked with Ray's as she approached him. He lifted up her award and held out his hand to her. She took it in hers and gripped it tightly, smiling at him as she did so. He couldn't help but grin back at her and just as she was about to leave the stage, he whispered to her, 'Let's talk after'. She nodded to him and then walked off.

Half an hour later and the ceremonial part of the day was done. Ray tried to escape as quickly as he could from all the officials who were desperate to talk to him but unfortunately his bright white uniform made it very difficult to him to slip away undetected. Eventually, he made his last goodbyes and headed off into the crowd towards where he'd last seen Liz. After ten minutes, he still hadn't found her and was just about to give up, thinking maybe she'd changed her mind after all, when he felt his sleeve being tugged from behind. He turned quickly and there she was, as radiant as he remembered. The smile on her face was just for him and he returned it in kind.

'Lizzy'

'Ray'

'How are you?'

'I'm fine. All the better for seeing you, I have to admit'

'Lizzy, I'm so sorry about us not catching up, I feel I may've made a terrible error'

'You? But I was the one who thought you were seeing Amber? I mean, you're not, right?'

'Amber? Dear god, no…. Wait, that was you outside the restaurant last Monday lunchtime, wasn't it?'

'Yes. I'd come by to see you but when I got there I saw her with her hands all over you. I, er, I left…..'

'Oh, Lizzy. I have no interest in that woman. I just can't seem to convince her of that. Although I think I may've managed to get through to her today at last', Ray sighed.

'Yes, I saw the tail end of that exchange. She didn't look happy', Liz said and winked at Ray

'I fear I may've made a similar assumption about you and your friend'

'What do you mean?'

'The man you were talking to earlier. He was here with his children and wife?'

'Pete?'

'Ah, okay, Pete. I saw you with him at The Post Office last Monday and I thought that…. Well, I thought maybe you were…..'

Liz suddenly burst out giggling. 'So what you're saying is we've both been a little quick to judge each other?'

'Yes, I guess so. For the record, I'm single. And I have no interest in Amber Gordon. Or any other woman. Present company excepted', Ray finished with a devilish little smile on his face.

'Well, that's lucky. Because I'm single too. And I have no interest in any other man. Present company most definitely excepted', Liz said back to him, a similar smile gracing her face. 'How's about we head into town for a drink?'

'That sounds wonderful. And maybe I could buy you lunch?'

'Well, if you insist. Yes, let's do that'

They turned away from the crowds and walked together back towards Main Street.

'Admiral Reddington, you have no idea how good you look in that uniform'

Ray smiled and offered his arm for Liz to link her hand through.

'Oh, I'm starting to get some idea…..'


	5. Chapter 5

Having strolled down Main Street for five minutes or so they came to a small all-day restaurant and went inside. It was pretty quiet in there as most people were still up at the town square, taking part in the day's events. They were seated towards the back of the restaurant far away from any prying eyes that may happen past.

Ray pulled out Liz's chair for her and then sat down opposite, taking his cap off and resting it on the table as he did so. The waiter brought them over a couple of menus and Ray immediately ordered himself a beer and, with an inquisitive look at Liz, a Chardonnay.

All of a sudden, neither of them could think of anything to say. Liz buried her nose in her menu, desperately trying to come up with some kind of topic of conversation and Ray found himself pouring them some table water and fiddling with his cutlery.

'So, Lizzy, I was very happy to see you getting that award today'

'You were?'

'Well, yes. I mean, not just because it's well deserved of course but also because I've been trying to think of an opportunity to see you, speak to you again and then one just fell into my lap', Ray finished with a slightly pained smile. 'I do so wish I hadn't been so presumptuous last week'.

'Oh, don't be silly. I was just as bad. And, you know, I've been wanting to catch up with you too. I should've known better than to take things at face value with Amber. She's been fawning over single men and some not so single…. Anyway, she's been like that for years. It's just never happened before that she's done it with a man I'm interested in'.

The second the words left Liz's mouth she realised what she'd said and she could feel an intense blush creeping up her chest towards her face.

Ray's eyebrows lifted as he heard what she said and then he smiled at her, seeing her discomfort evident with her blush.

'No need to be embarrassed, Lizzy. I think we now know we're both on the same page here regarding what we hope for from our friendship'. He hesitated for a moment and then reached across the table and lightly squeezed her hand. Holding it for just a second, he then pulled his hand back and picked up his menu.

Once his eyes dropped to the paper in front of him, Liz ventured a look at him and couldn't help but smile. He really was such a lovely man. And whilst she had thought him sexy and good looking before now, in his dress whites it was all she could do not to jump over the table and launch herself at him. Oh, God, Liz, no….. That would be an Amber approach. And obviously not one Ray would be impressed by.

The waiter returned and they both ordered themselves just a main course, Ray a steak and Liz a salad. Truth be told she was still pretty full after her omelette earlier but figured if she was drinking she should at least try to get some sustenance inside her. As they were waiting for their food to arrive, they both started nibbling on the fresh bread that the waiter had brought over. Liz took a deep gulp of her Chardonnay and asked Ray a question she just suddenly needed to know the answer to.

'So, have you ever been married? Do you have kids?'

Ray looked up at her and smiled a bittersweet smile, 'No, no wives, no kids. I didn't have anyone before I joined the Navy and once you're in the Service it can be hard to meet women. I mean, I've had a few girlfriends over the years but nothing that lasted very long. Getting called away on six-month plus deployments can really throw a spanner in the works of blossoming relationships. How about you?'

'Well, no kids, no. But I was married briefly. To a guy named Tom. Only lasted a couple of years'.

Ray saw Liz's expression darken slightly and couldn't help but ask, 'That's not very long. Were you very young?'

'Not really. I was twenty-nine when we married. I'm thirty-three now by the way. But he, er, he cheated on me. Twice. And when I confronted him about the second time he, well, he hit me. Beat me up quite badly actually'.

Liz ventured a glance at Ray and saw an expression on his face she'd yet to experience. His jaw had locked tight and his eyes narrowed slightly, his nostrils flaring. If he had been a dog, his hackles would've been a foot high.

'He did what?'

'Yeah, he was really mad that I'd found out about him cheating and that I wanted to throw him out. He just completely lost it. After he'd finished, he just got his stuff and left'.

'Did you call the police?', Ray managed to grind out, his anger still threatening to get the better of him.

'No. And, before you say it, I know I should've. I was just so shocked. I had to take a month off work till the bruises healed completely but then I just wanted to put it behind me. Once he had come back to get the rest of his things, I never saw him again'.

'Does he still live in town?'

Liz looked at Ray as he asked this and was suddenly very glad that Tom had moved far away. Not that the idea of the scumbag getting beaten up by Ray was necessarily a bad thing but she didn't want Ray getting in trouble.

'No. He's moved to New Mexico. He always did love the heat. Yet another reason we were never meant to be, I guess'. Her attempt at humour did nothing to assuage the feelings of fury that were coursing through Ray. He'd only just met Liz really and yet the idea of someone laying a hand on her, let alone her own husband, made his blood boil. He reached out and took a long drink from his beer, trying to calm down.

'I'm very sorry to hear that, Lizzy. I don't know you well but I know that you most certainly did not deserve a monster like that hurting you so badly'.

Liz looked up at Ray again and she had tears in her eyes. He reached out with both hands and grasped her hands, which were toying with her napkin nervously. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. With me in town you have the resources of the US Navy at your disposal to protect you. I can still pull a few strings'. His attempt to lighten the mood helped a little and Liz beamed back at him.

'Okay, Admiral, I'll bear that in mind. But don't worry, I've not heard from him in nearly two years now'.

'Good. And long may that be the case'.

At that moment their food arrived and they both busied themselves with getting started. Ray's steak was absolutely enormous and he insisted on cutting a bit off for Liz to have with her salad. Despite the fact she hadn't been that hungry before, she did have to admit his steak looked heavenly and so she readily agreed. She then jokingly offered him a tomato in return and Ray nearly choked on his food.

'That's very generous of you, sweetheart but I'll pass', he laughed.

Oh, he just called me sweetheart, Liz thought, inwardly squealing with delight. And didn't it just sound amazing coming from his lips…..

They had ordered more drinks when their food had been delivered and they now arrived. Over the course of the rest of the meal they chatted about slightly more mundane things, such as the state of each other's businesses and movies they'd seen recently. Having had the 'Tom' talk so early on, they both felt the need to put it far behind them with talk of just about anything else.

As the waiter came to collect their plates and deliver the dessert menu, they ordered yet more drinks. This time Liz bit the bullet and just ordered a half-bottle of Chardonnay and Ray ordered a pitcher of beer.

'A whole pitcher to yourself?'

'Well, yes. I mean, first of all, once you've finished that half-bottle, you'll have had five glasses of wine, can I just point out? And second, I was in the Navy. You have no idea the years of training I've had at putting away beer in vast quantities'.

Liz giggled at him and raised her glass in a toast.

'Okay, so here's to getting very tipsy at a completely inappropriate time of day'

'Well, I'm certainly drinking to that, my dear'.

They clinked glasses and each took large sips from their drinks. Despite the fact they had just eaten, they could both most definitely feel the effects of the alcohol hitting them already. Liz was starting to feel giggly and Ray had noticed that the blush that had graced her face earlier had now become a permanent feature. And didn't it make her look most charming, he thought to himself.

The desserts they'd ordered now arrived. Ray was having cheese and Liz some kind of fruit concoction with about half a gallon of whipped cream. At least, that's what it looked like to Ray.

'Is there anything in that other than cream?', he asked, peering closely at her bowl.

'Er, yes, there are some strawberries. And I think there's some meringue somewhere'. Just as Liz was manoeuvring her spoon in such a way as to reveal what was underneath the cream, her hand slipped slightly and the spoon flipped up, leaving her with a huge dollop of cream right in the middle of her face. Ray burst out laughing and despite the fact that Liz gave him an angry glower he couldn't stop. In fact, the look on her face just made him laugh harder.

'You do realise you're wearing a VERY white uniform, don't you, mister?'

Ray couldn't even answer he was laughing so hard.

'And that anything at all, even cream, would show up pretty spectacularly were it to find its way onto that VERY white uniform….?'

Ray was desperately trying to stop laughing but he just couldn't. Eventually Liz couldn't keep up the pretence any longer and started giggling too.

'Okay, okay, laugh it up, sailor boy. Please excuse me whilst I pop to the bathroom'.

Liz was gone for a couple of minutes and during that time, Ray managed to contain himself again. He finished his cheese and had just poured himself another glass of beer when Liz re-emerged.

He looked up at her and smiled and then instantly started laughing again.

'Seriously, it's not that funny', Liz managed to blurt out just as she joined in once more.

'Oh, it really was. But I had managed to recover. It's just that you missed a bit'. He leant across the table and gently ran his finger across towards the back of her cheek, just in front of her ear. He briefly thought about licking the cream off his finger but then thought maybe that would be a bit too much so just wiped it on his napkin.

'Oh, right. Well, that's embarrassing. To be fair, standing up just now made things go a bit wobbly so I didn't really get a good look in the mirror', Liz giggled. 'Okay, I'm going to eat the rest of this now. I clearly need a bit more food inside me'.

Ray watched her intently as she spooned the creamy dessert into her mouth. He found himself staring at her lips intently. They were so plump and full and looked so soft. And the way she licked her spoon clean each time…. Okay, Ray, bathroom break, time for some cold water on your face.

'Be right back, sweetheart'.

In Ray's absence, Liz managed to finish her dessert and got started on her last glass of wine. Once he was back he poured the last of his beer into the glass and started sipping it straight away.

'So, Lizzy, would you like to return with me to the town square in a bit? I believe there's a marquee being set up and a live band playing later?'

'Oh, yes, I did see that. That would be wonderful. And if I were to go home now I'd probably just pass out on the couch anyway'.

They finished their drinks swiftly and paid the bill. Heading back out onto the street, Liz once more linked her hand through Ray's arm. Although, this time, she had to admit to herself, it was more of a necessity than anything else. She was feeling a little unsteady on her feet and wearing heels really wasn't helping.

They sauntered slowly up the street, looking in some of the shop windows and chatting about how things had changed in the town during the time they'd lived there, albeit in Ray's case only on and off.

Suddenly they came face to face with Amber Gordon.

'Well, I see it didn't take you long to move on, Raymond', she said to him, her eyes slightly slitted.

'Amber. I assume you know Elizabeth?'

'Oh, yes, I know Elizabeth. Little miss goody two-shoes'.

Ray was about to respond in Liz's defence but Amber just turned swiftly away and crossed the street at as fast a pace as her ludicrously high heels would allow her.

'Good grief, she's a piece of work', Ray muttered to Liz.

'Yeah, if she doesn't get what she wants, it ain't pretty', Liz said and burst out laughing as she spotted Amber half tripping up the kerb.

'Okay, Ray, take me to the marquee. I need to sit down really badly'.

'At once, my dear', Ray said as he helped Liz toddle along the sidewalk, steadying her the whole time. 'I think maybe that much wine at lunchtime may not have been the best plan in the world', he said and winked at her. 'Let's get to the town square and I'll get you a very large jug of water'.

'Good idea, thank you'.

They managed to make it there eventually and found a table around the edge of the marquee. Ray briefly left Liz on her own and came back with another pitcher of beer for himself and a pitcher of water for Liz.

'Are you serious? You can't drink all that?'

'Liz, I can assure you I'm doing just fine. I may be feeling a little tipsy but the night is yet young and I'm very much enjoying myself'.

'But that makes me want more alcohol now too?', Liz said in such a pathetic voice that Ray had to stifle a laugh.

'Well, obviously you can if you want, I won't try to stop you. But might I recommend at least half of this pitcher of water beforehand?'

'Okay, probably a good idea. Just don't go getting too far ahead of me!'

'I don't think there's any danger of that, my dear', Ray said with a wink and Liz playfully hit him on his arm.

Ray poured himself some beer and some water for Liz. And they then just sat back and watched the band setting up and all the various people mingling about in the marquee. It was starting to get quite busy and Ray spotted a hot dog stand setting up and couldn't help but grin.

'What you smiling at?'

'Hot dogs'

'But we just ate?', Liz asked, an incredulous look on her face.

'Did I fail to mention that, as well as a healthy appetite for beer, I can also eat more than enough for three grown men on any given day?', Ray said as he looked over at her with a slightly smug smile on his face.

'How on earth do you have such a good body then?'. Oh, crap, Liz…. Here you go again. Roll your tongue back in and try to filter what you're saying!

Ray laughed and replied, 'Well, thank you. I may not be as trim as I used to be. However, I do still run and do some gym work. Plus I'm sometimes on my feet twelve hours a day in the restaurant'.

'Yeah, well, it's obviously working. If I ate and drank what you did, I'd be an elephant', Liz said and started giggling again.

Ray looked over at her with true affection on his face. That giggle of hers may just be the death of me yet, he thought.

Half an hour later and the band were in full swing. Liz had managed to drink two thirds of her water and was starting to feel a little more in control of herself. Ray was nearly finished with his pitcher of beer and she couldn't help but be impressed by the fact he still seemed perfectly in control of his faculties. He stood up and started to head towards the bar.

'Can I fetch you anything, Lizzy? I'm going to get myself a scotch. I'm rather full of beer now, not sure there's room for any more'.

'Ooh, I'll have a scotch too'

'Really?'

'Yeah, I love scotch. My dad used to drink it. Plus I'm feeling much better after all that water'.

'Two scotches it is then'

Ray was gone and back in no time and they sat, sipping their scotches and just enjoying the music. The evening continued and they were still chatting away about every topic under the sun, learning more and more about each other, when the band's singer announced it was time for the slow music of the night.

Ray's ears immediately perked up. 'Lizzy, would you care to join me for a dance?'

'Yes!' Liz yelped and before Ray knew what was happening she was up out of her seat and practically dragging him onto the dance floor. 'I thought you'd never ask'.

Ray laughed at her obvious enthusiasm and they found themselves a spot to dance in amongst all the other couples already out there. He rested his hand on her hip and held her left hand with his right one. Her right hand was leaning quite heavily on his shoulder as she was still feeling a little wobbly and needed his solid body to keep her upright.

They were out there for some time, song after song, until it was announced that the next song would be the last of the evening. Liz pouted briefly and then whispered to Ray, 'Thank you. I've had the best day I've had in years'.

'Oh, my dear, me too. Thank you for spending today with me'. He looked down at her so fondly Liz couldn't help but move her arms until her hands were laced together behind his head. She stepped forward and rested her head on his chest. Ray immediately intertwined his hands at the small of her back and nuzzled her temple, smelling her hair and smiling at how happy he felt.

They swayed slowly during the whole duration of the song, both feeling utterly content and loving the closeness of the other.

When the song eventually ended, everyone in the marquee applauded the band and then started heading towards the exits.

Ray and Liz walked arm in arm once more, both so happy that they didn't want the night to end. And yet they both felt that it must. Neither of them wanted to rush into anything, however wonderful their day had been. Ray hailed them a cab and they got in and drove away from the town square.

As they pulled up at Liz's door, Ray leapt out the cab and ran round to Liz's door before she even had a chance to open it. He hauled the door open for her and helped her out, keeping a tight grip on her hand. They then walked up her path together and reached her front door.

'Thank you, Ray. Just thank you. Today was magical', Liz said and positively beamed with happiness.

'I've had a wonderful time too. Can I see you again? Soon?'

'Oh, try and stop me, mister', she said, playfully slapping his chest.

Ray briefly thought about kissing her but didn't want to when she was so clearly still inebriated. Instead, he took her keys from her hands and opened her door for her.

'Goodnight, Lizzy. I'll call you really soon. Oh, wait, what's your number?'

Liz took a hold of the phone he'd just pulled out of his pants pocket and, after having to focus much harder than she should have had to, eventually managed to put her number in his phone.

Ray took his phone back and glanced at her entry. 'Sexy Lizzy?', he asked with a laugh bubbling up from within.

'You know it, Ray, you know it', Liz said and walked through the door. She then turned back to him and smiled, all innocently. 'Call me, Ray. Soon'.

'I will, sweetheart. I will'.


	6. Chapter 6

When her alarm rang out the following morning at 7am, Liz nearly threw it out the window. Oh god, she thought, I don't think I can move, let alone get out of bed. However, after giving herself a pep talk, she managed to drag herself to the bathroom and perform her usual morning routine. Once she had showered and brushed her teeth she made her way to the kitchen and set the coffee pot to brew, ransacking the drawer by the sink for some aspirin. She couldn't believe how much her head was hurting. She went back to her room to get dressed and decided there and then she was never going to drink on a work night ever again.

Once in her office, she had twenty minutes before her first patient was due. She made herself another extra strong coffee and started to look through his file just to brush up on his case. Her headache was no better. God, if only there was some way of passing her patients onto someone else for the day. Ah, well, that's the price you pay for running your own one-woman business, she smiled to herself ruefully.

Just as she glanced at her watch to see how much longer she had to wait, her phone pinged. Oh, please let this be him cancelling. I could easily doze for an hour on my couch before the next patient's due. However, she wasn't that lucky.

Ray was enduring a similar morning. Despite the fact he had happily knocked back what he estimated was about a gallon of beer and two large scotches the night before with no obvious ill-effects, he wasn't feeling quite so smug about his drinking prowess this morning. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this rough. Hmm, probably shouldn't complain, at least I'm not on a ship on choppy waters. He wanted to get himself in nice and early today to see everything was okay after he'd taken the day off yesterday. He was up and out the door in under twenty minutes and decided to walk to the restaurant, just in case he wasn't yet safe to drive.

When he got there and opened up he went straight to his office and made himself a coffee. Sitting at his desk, he allowed himself a few minutes to sit and close his eyes in the hope that the room might stop spinning. However, it didn't seem to help. In fact, it just made it worse. Groaning, he opened his eyes and sat forward, spying his phone sitting on the desk. Hmm, he thought, I wonder how Lizzy's doing this morning. He reached for his phone.

Liz quickly scanned her text message and couldn't help but laugh out loud. 'Good morning, sexy Lizzy. Please tell me you don't feel as awful as I do? Ray x'. She'd forgotten she'd put her name in his phone like that and blushed slightly. Still, he didn't seem to mind. She quickly texted back, 'Good morning to you too, sexy Ray. I feel so awful I don't think there's any way on earth you could feel worse. I blame you for this entirely'. She then added a winking emoji and signed off 'SL x x'.

Ray read her message and chuckled. He was glad she seemed to be okay, despite their shared pain. And she certainly didn't seem to be regretting last night. Before he lost the courage to do so, he quickly sent another text to her, 'Dinner, my place, Friday evening?'.

Liz heard the outer door to her office open and her phone ping at the same time. She quickly scanned the text from Ray and smiled, 'Sounds great! Speak soon….'. Now she had a date with the delectable Ray set for Friday, she felt that she could actually make it through today.

Ray read her reply and grinned from ear to ear. He put his phone down and glanced at the time. Hmm, maybe just another hour before I do any work, he thought to himself as he lowered his head to his desk and groaned.

The rest of the week passed in a bit of a blur for both of them. The restaurant was busy every lunch and dinner time for the whole week and Liz's practice was booked up for every available appointment. They had exchanged a few more text messages over the last few days but when it got to Friday afternoon, they'd still not actually spoken since Monday night. Ray realised that he'd not yet told Liz any more details for their date and so decided to give her a quick call to let her know the final plans for that evening. However, her phone just rang out and he realised she must be with a patient. He left a brief message telling her he'd pick her up at six-thirty unless he heard otherwise and then hung up. He ran off to the bar to have a brief word with the assistant manager and then headed home, eager to look out what he was gonna wear later. He found he hadn't felt this nervous about a date for such a long time he'd completely forgotten how it could be. The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering about in full force.

Liz locked up her office and set off home, quickly scanning her phone for messages as she walked. She saw she had a voicemail that must've come through when her phone was on silent. Having listened to it, she smiled and started to get even more excited about her date tonight. She'd missed his voice and hearing it again made her both nervous and giddy. She picked up the pace, eager to get home, showered and changed in plenty time.

At six twenty-five Ray was sitting in his car, looking up at Liz's apartment. He'd already been out here for five minutes but didn't want to be early so was just sitting and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Eventually he couldn't stand it anymore and got out the car and started pacing up the sidewalk away from her door. After a brief stride up the road he turned and came back. Okay, now he was only three minutes early. Surely that was okay? He headed to her door and rang the bell.

Liz was just putting the finishing touches to her make-up. She'd chosen a relatively simple black dress. A little cleavage but nothing too racy. Medium height heels and understated jewellery. She wanted to look good but also knew that if they were eating in at Ray's, dressing up too much might seem a bit odd. Just as she dabbed her lipstick on a tissue, the doorbell rang. She glanced at her clock and smiled. Three minutes early, eh Ray? That'll teach me to date a military man. She stood up and grabbed her bag and a light coat and headed out to the stairs.

When she opened the door the sight of Ray made her break out into a wide, genuine smile. He was wearing dark grey slacks and a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and a couple of buttons undone. The smile he returned to her was so open and happy that she couldn't help but walk right up to him and grab his hand.

'Hi there'

'Hi yourself'

'You're looking very handsome'

'And you're looking positively stunning, my dear', he said as he lifted her hand to his mouth and lightly kissed it.

He turned then and escorted her to his car, opening the passenger door for her before returning to the driver's seat. As he pulled away from her apartment, he looked over to her and smiled.

'I've missed you'

'It's only been four days, Ray', Liz said, momentarily caught almost dumbstruck by his revelation. But, thinking about it, she realised she felt exactly the same. And why not be honest? 'I've missed you too though. I've been looking forward to tonight all week'.

'Me too, sweetheart'.

Within a few minutes they were pulling up outside Ray's house and he quickly ran around to Liz's door to open it and lead her in. She gratefully accepted his arm and walked with him to his front door. His house wasn't particularly big but it had two storeys and a lovely garden.

'How long have you lived here?'

'Oh, only for a few weeks. I'm only renting. My dad lived above the restaurant but I didn't really want to be on the premises 24/7 like he was. I felt like I needed a least some space to myself. I've got this place for a minimum of six months'.

As he finished speaking, they got to the door and Ray unlocked it and ushered Liz in first.

'I'm afraid the décor is minimal at best. I'm only really using four rooms and one for storage. So, the kitchen, bathroom, lounge and bedroom are furnished but that's it'.

'Oh, I'm sure that'll be more than enough', Liz replied seconds before she'd realised she'd just intimated that the bedroom might be of use to them. Before Ray could see her blushing yet again, she turned away and hung her coat up on a hook by the door. She turned back to him and smiled.

'Okay, Ray, I'm all recovered from Tuesday morning, what drinks've you got?'

Ray laughed and led her to the kitchen. 'It's good to see Tuesday morning's shared suffering hasn't put you off alcohol for life. I have to admit I've not touched it since but that may be because, having been in the restaurant all week, I've been surrounded by it all day. The smell alone was putting me off', Ray said, shuddering. 'In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if there was something wrong with that beer in the marquee?'

'Oh, right, of course. And the same thing just happened to be wrong with my Chardonnay?'

'Oh, no, unlikely. I think that's got more to do with the amount you were putting away', Ray said and easily dodged her playful slap intended for his arm.

'Okay, okay. Enough talk of Tuesday's inexplicable malaise, mister. I think we can agree we both drank too much'.

Ray grinned and reached into his fridge. 'Yes, absolutely. In fact, I seem to recall swearing off alcohol altogether sometime mid Tuesday afternoon. Anyway, Chardonnay?'

Liz laughed and nodded at him. He poured them both a glass and beckoned Liz to come and join him on his terrace. 'You sit here for a moment and I'll just pop back and get us some snacks'.

Once Ray had gone back in the house, Liz took the chance to look around his garden. There was little to it, it really did look like a rental house; no personal touches at all. She heard Ray coming back out and reached up to accept the vol-au-vent he offered her. 'Mushroom and prosciutto with a hint of brie. Tell me what you think; I made them myself'.

Liz's eyes opened wide when he said that. They were absolutely delicious. 'You're kidding? These are amazing. Wow!'

'Thank you. Running a restaurant has inspired me to try out some new recipes. I've always liked cooking but the galley of a Naval ship really isn't the place to be attempting haute cuisine', he said with a laugh.

'Mmm, well, if these are what you're capable of, I say keep on attempting'.

They both then sat back in their chairs and enjoyed a quiet moment, each sipping slowly at their drinks and contemplating how the silence between them didn't seem uneasy at all. In fact, it already felt like they'd known each other for months, not just two weeks.

Eventually Ray stood up again and excused himself to the kitchen, 'Please stay here and enjoy the fresh air. I'm just going to make dinner. I decided on steaks with caesar salad, seeing as I know you like both. I hope that's okay?'

'Sounds wonderful'

'How do you like your steak?'

'Oh, like I like my men', Liz said before she had a chance to filter what she was saying. God, Liz, half a glass of wine and you're already sticking your foot in it.

'I see. Well, I'm not sure exactly what length of time of cooking steak bodes best for me….. Well done? Rare?'

Liz snorted around a mouthful of Chardonnay and answered, 'I like them rare, yes'. Well done, Liz. You resisted saying 'blue', she congratulated herself.

Ray smirked and walked off to the kitchen. Within ten minutes he called her in and showed her to the table. 'I've just rustled up a fairly simple caesar salad but I hope you like the fried bacon pieces?'

'Everything smells wonderful. Thank you for going to so much trouble'.

As they began to eat, Ray started to pour a bottle of red for Liz that he'd been allowing to breathe. They'd already polished off the whole bottle of white and were both feeling very relaxed and tipsy once again. Their dinner passed with a lot of laughing and poking fun at each other. Both were still insisting that the other one had been the more drunken on Monday night.

'Well, at least I wasn't craving hot dogs twenty minutes after finishing my dinner!'

'Yes, true. I'll give you that. I managed to resist them though. Anyway, as we've finished, would you like to retire to the lounge?'

Ray picked up both their wine glasses and led Liz through to his main living area. They sat down together on the couch and both sighed at exactly the same moment. Then they glanced at each other and laughed.

'Actually, Lizzy, I might just excuse myself and visit the bathroom. I'll be right back'.

Once Ray had left the room, Liz looked around, hoping to see something of Ray's that would give her more insight into the man. Her eyes happened upon what looked like a photo album sitting on top of an opened packing box. She went to pick it up and returned to the couch.

When Ray got back from the bathroom, Liz was cooing away in delighted tones and Ray grimaced.

'I see you've found some of my childhood pictures. Damn, should have hidden that'

'Are you kidding? You're so adorable I could eat you right up! Look at that mess of blonde hair. What a lovely kid'.

'Appearances can be deceptive, my dear'.

'I thought you said you were bookish?'

'Ah, yes, you remembered. I was hoping to convey more of an image of rebellion and danger…. I was a nerd'.

Liz laughed and pointed at another picture. 'Looking at this picture of your dad here, I can see the resemblance now. I knew what he looked like of course, but don't remember what he looked like when he was younger'.

Ray looked at the picture and smiled. 'Yeah, I am starting to look more like him. I guess the hair loss helps with that', he chuckled.

'Got any more albums? This one's a treasure trove'

'Ummm, yes…..'

Liz jumped up and headed back to the box. Just as she reached in to grab another album, she spied something even more tempting. She picked it up and turned back to Ray.

'How old is this teddy bear?'

'Oh, God, I'd forgotten he was in there'

'He, not 'it'. Hmm, you're clearly identifying with it in an anthropomorphic way. Musta been very dear to you'.

'And this is why dating a psychologist is a bad idea', Ray laughed jovially then beckoned her back over. She placed the bear back in the box and picked up the second album.

'Sorry, I was only teasing'

'I know, sweetheart. And, yes, I did very much love Yogi'

With that Liz nearly lost another mouthful of wine. 'Yogi? That's wonderful. Aw, little Ray and Yogi. I can just picture you both going on adventures together. To the library!'

Now it was Ray's turn to snort with laughter. 'Oh, dear god, it's lucky I joined the Navy, isn't it? Otherwise you'd think I was a complete loss'.

'Not at all. I like bookworms. And nerds. And men who can cook. And men who wear dashing white uniforms. I think you're anything but a loss'. Liz had now given up on trying to temper her mouth. She was clearly pretty tipsy again and was enjoying flirting with Ray way too much.

'Thank you', Ray said and smiled at her as she opened up the second album.

'Aha – you in your 20s?'

'Yes, I was in the Navy by then', Ray said peering closely at the picture. 'I think that's me getting my lieutenant pips'.

'And there's your dad again. He looks so proud of you'.

Ray kept on studying the picture for a few moments and then had to turn his head away. Liz didn't notice his sudden discomfort and carried on flicking through the album for a couple more pages.

'Oh, and look at you here. That is a tragic sweater you're wearing….', Liz turned to Ray as she was speaking and noticed he was pointedly looking away from her.

'Oh my god, Ray, what is it? Have I upset you? I'm so sorry if I have'

'No, it's not you', Ray managed to say in a strained voice. 'It's just seeing those pictures of my dad again'.

'Ray, I'm sorry', Liz said as she closed the album and put it to the side. He still didn't turn back to her though and she heard him sniffing quietly. She edged closer and reached out to place her hand on his arm.

At the touch of Liz's hand, Ray turned back towards her and she saw he had tears streaming down his face.

'Oh, Ray', Liz said as she moved towards him, feeling tearful herself at the sight of him crying. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head down into her neck. She held him tight and let him cry.

After a few minutes, Ray managed to stop crying and pulled his head up.

'I'm so sorry, Lizzy. I didn't mean to weep all over you'. He then spotted how wet the top of her dress was. 'And I hope those tears don't stain your dress'.

'Don't be silly. There's nothing wrong with crying. I'm just glad I could be here for you when you did. And I couldn't care less about the dress'.

Ray smiled at her and their eyes locked onto each other. 'Thank you, sweetheart'.

Liz smiled back at him and ran her hands down his cheeks, gently stroking them. Ray then leant forwards and lightly touched his lips to hers. Although Liz hadn't been expecting a kiss at this exact moment, she immediately responded to it and kissed him back. He pulled away slightly just to look at her again and upon seeing the look on her face, went back in for another kiss. This one started slowly but after a minute or so it was starting to get much more passionate. Both of them groaned slightly as their hands started to explore each other. Ray's were either side of Liz's waist and hers were around the back of his head, running her fingernails through his shorn hair.

Eventually, Liz sat back and then smiled broadly at him. 'You know, I can't believe I'm about to say this but maybe this could wait till another time? Much as I'm very fond of you and the fact I find you devastatingly sexy, I don't wanna rush into anything'. She smiled almost apologetically as she said this and Ray rushed to reassure her.

'Of course, sweetheart. I'm in no hurry. And I'd never do anything to pressure you. It's been a wonderful evening. Even the crying was cathartic'.

Liz laughed lightly at him and bent her head to give him one more brief kiss before standing up and walking towards the bathroom.

'I'm just going to use the little girls' room. Then do you want to walk me home?'

'Absolutely, my dear'.

They headed off down the road together, Ray's tears all but forgotten and they laughed and joked the whole way back to Liz's apartment. They were walking hand in hand and occasionally Ray would lift Liz's hand to his mouth and brush his lips over it.

When they got to her address, Liz opened the front door and then turned back to Ray.

'Thank you for a wonderful evening. And for being such a gentleman. I had a great time'.

'Me too. I was thinking; would you like to join me for a picnic maybe? Tomorrow or Sunday?'

'Ooh, I would love to! How's about Sunday?'

'Perfect', Ray said and started to move away slightly.

'Hey, wait'

'Hmm…', was all Ray managed to get out before Liz had stepped into his arms and pulled his head down for one final kiss. This one was an intoxicating mix of tender and hungry, both of them grabbing each other tight and moaning slightly. Eventually they pulled apart, both a little out of breath.

'See you Sunday, Ray'

'I can't wait, sweetheart. Sleep well'.

'You too. And Yogi, of course', Liz said with a cheeky wink.

Ray grimaced and then smiled broadly. 'Just you wait till I get to see some of your embarrassing secrets, my dear'.

'Ha, as if an angel like me would have any'

Ray laughed at her and then kissed her hand, 'Until Sunday, Lizzy'.


	7. Chapter 7

Come Sunday morning Ray woke up nice and early and immediately headed into the restaurant. He had taken the whole day off but wanted to prepare some tasty food for their picnic and thought that utilising the restaurant's kitchen and plethora of wonderful fresh ingredients was the best way to do that. When he got there, he had a good hour before anyone else would turn up and so set to work at once concocting a feast of food for himself and Liz. By half past eleven everything was ready to go and so he placed it all into a cooler bag and headed off to Liz's apartment.

Liz had gotten up quite early herself. Not by design but just because once she'd woken up and instantly remembered today was the day of her picnic with Ray, she just couldn't sleep anymore. She quickly drank some coffee and then took a shower. She found a pretty summer dress to wear, some simple sandals and a straw hat.. Ray had told her he would bring everything they needed but she couldn't help but think she should provide something. Suddenly she recalled she had a frisbee in her closet and went and fetched it. It may not be much but she had been under instructions not to worry about bringing anything.

At ten to twelve her doorbell rang and she grabbed her bag and a jacket and headed downstairs to meet Ray. When she opened the door she saw he was dressed in a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and lots of buttons undone, along with a pair of cargo shorts and loafers. He looked very summery and relaxed and she grinned openly at him. Ray couldn't help but return the smile and, briefly placing the cooler bag and another bag he had down on the ground, he stepped towards her and gave her a quick kiss. Liz returned the kiss and then reached to take one of the bags from the floor to carry.

'Oh, no, Lizzy. You'll not be carrying anything. This date is all about me spoiling you'.

'I'm pretty sure our last date was all about you spoiling me?', Liz laughed at him.

'Hmm, well, yes….. I'll give you a turn someday. But indulge me for now, please?'

She beamed at him and handed the bag back, 'Okay, fair enough. Although you're going to make me look very high maintenance should anyone I know see us. You're laden like a camel and I've just got my tiny bag'.

Ray laughed and turned to lead her away down the road towards the park. 'I promise next time we go on a date, I'll insist you carry everything, if you'd like?'

'Depends if we're going to a restaurant or if we're going scuba diving. Not sure I could handle two oxygen tanks if I'm honest'.

Ray laughed again and turned to her, 'Let's just say right now that our next date won't be scuba diving'.

They headed off down the road together in the direction of the town's main park. It was a large area with a small lake with boats to hire and various amenities. It would be very easy to spend a whole day there in the right company. When they arrived, Ray asked Liz where she would like to set up their picnic area and she chose a spot near a tree with a little bit of shade. They wandered on over and Ray set down their bags and rolled out a picnic blanket he'd brought. He'd even provided two cushions for them and Liz had to laugh.

'Seriously? You brought cushions? That's very organised, Ray'

'Well, if we eat even half the food I've brought we're probably going to fall asleep so I figured it'd be nice to have a pillow should that occur'

'Uh-huh. Well, I have no intention of falling asleep. I think maybe falling asleep in the middle of your second date with someone wouldn't come across too well'

'Well, I certainly wouldn't mind. It would give me a chance to stare at you whilst you dozed', Ray said, slightly wiggling his eyebrows and smiling suggestively at her.

Liz whacked him on the arm, 'Well, now I'm definitely not nodding off. If you feel the need then please go for it though. I'm pretty sure I have a marker pen in my bag. I think you'd rather suit a large black moustache'.

Ray laughed and sat down on the blanket. He turned to the cooler and pulled out a couple of lemonades he'd brought from behind the bar. They were still nice and cold. 'Would you like one?'

'Oh, yes, please. It's starting to get really hot, isn't it?'. Liz gratefully accepted the drink from him and held it to her cheeks briefly before opening it and drinking deeply.

'So, are you hungry, Lizzy? I have to admit, I think I've brought about half the restaurant with me'

'I only had a small bite for breakfast as I kinda figured you might go overboard', Liz said as she nudged him with her shoulder.

'Well, you figured correctly. I couldn't decide what you'd like most so I brought lots of different things. Made a few of them this morning. What would you like first?', Ray asked as he brought the cooler over towards her for her to look inside.

Liz's eyes opened wide when she saw how much was in there. 'Some of it I thought we could have later, at dinner time. Assuming, of course, we spend the whole day together?' Ray added slightly nervously, realising he'd sounded quite presumptuous saying that. However, Liz smiled back at him immediately and replied, 'Well, I'm not letting a single bite of this feast go to waste so that sounds like a good idea to me'.

She picked out some fresh bread and some dips Ray had made that morning. 'Ooh, I can't resist freshly baked bread. I'm gonna start with this I think. What about you?'

'Sounds perfect', Ray said and reached over to rip some of the bread off the piece Liz was offering to him. They sat quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying the food and the tranquility of the day. Once the bread had been devoured Ray reached into the bag and brought out some grapes and a huge chunk of Parmesan.

'I hope you like strong Italian cheese?'

'Ooh, I love it. And paired with grapes? Mmm….'. Liz plucked a grape from the bunch and popped it into her mouth before Ray had a chance to offer her one. 'My favourite fruit', she offered as an explanation for her impatience.

Ray smiled and handed her the whole bunch. 'Okay, you get started on those and I'll cut us off some cheese'. Ray quickly finished doing this and then brought out a bottle of chilled rose wine. 'I hope you like rose? I wanted something chilled so was going to bring white but then thought red would go better with cheese. So, I kinda got stuck between the two and just went with rose'.

Liz laughed at him, 'That's such a dorky way of thinking'. Ray looked crestfallen and Liz rushed to reassure him, 'Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. I think it's adorable. And I love rose! Sorry, was just teasing. Here, let me pour some'.

Liz took the bottle from him after he'd opened it and poured them both a generous glass.

'To you, Ray', Liz said as she clinked glasses with him

'To you, sweetheart'

They sipped their wine and nibbled on their cheese and grapes. Liz had to admit she was already feeling pretty full and it didn't look like they'd even scratched the surface of all the food Ray had brought. After a few minutes, they'd both finished their food and were becoming increasingly relaxed due to the effects of the wine. Ray lay down on the blanket and rested his head on one of the cushions. Liz saw an opportunity and lay down next to him, her head on his shoulder. She reached over and grabbed his hand, which was resting on his stomach and entwined her fingers with his. She then looked up at him and saw him smiling down at her, the affection very obvious in his face. He leant in and kissed her gently and she kissed him back. After a few seconds of kissing they both just lay back down again and held each other close.

Half an hour later, Liz blinked herself awake. Oh no, she thought to herself, I did fall asleep after all. She sneaked a look up at Ray to see if he was indeed staring at her but he was sound asleep too. She stifled a giggle and then rested her head back on his shoulder. She decided drawing a moustache on him probably would be a bit mean, although the idea did still tempt her. As she lay there, waiting for him to wake up, she spotted a couple of teenage boys playing frisbee nearby and was reminded she'd brought one with her. Once Ray woke up she decided she'd challenge him to a game. She closed her eyes again and waited for him to come to. She didn't have long to wait though as within seconds of having this thought the boys' frisbee flew over towards them and landed right on Ray's knee. He came awake with a start and yelped. Liz giggled and quickly reassured him it was okay as she lifted the frisbee and tossed it back to the sheepish looking teenager standing a few feet away. Ray looked at her with such a befuddled expression on his face that she couldn't resist leaning up to kiss him. 'Don't worry, Ray, it was just a frisbee. You musta been in quite a deep sleep?'

'Er, yes, I guess so'. Ray sat up and rubbed his eyes. 'Sorry I dozed off. How long was I asleep?'

'Well, I can't tell you exactly. I fell asleep too!'

Ray smirked and then quickly reached up to rub his upper lip. Liz laughed at him, 'Don't worry, I didn't draw a moustache on you. I thought about it, don't get me wrong. Just decided to behave myself. For now….'

Ray narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. 'Okay, I'll take your word for it. Man, I need a coffee. I brought a couple of iced coffees from the restaurant. They won't be as cold now but do you want one?'

'Ooh, good idea. I'd like to remain awake from now on I think'. Ray passed her a coffee and they each sipped away, slowly waking up again. After a few minutes they were done and Liz turned to her bag and rummaged around briefly. 'So, I was thinking, do you wanna play frisbee?'

Ray grinned at once and leapt up. 'Hell, yeah. I love a bit of frisbee. I have to warn you, I'm pretty good though'.

'Oh, okay. Well, let's see whatcha got then, Admiral'.

Ray bent down and helped Liz to her feet. He took the frisbee from her and started trotting off in the direction of the lake. After about thirty yards he turned back and then threw it back to her with some gusto. It flew straight into her hands with unerring accuracy.

'Okay, that was a good start, big shot. Let's see how good you are at catching though!' Liz pinged the frisbee back towards Ray and whilst it wasn't as powerful a throw, it was just as accurate. He snatched it out of the air with one hand, did a pirouette and then shot it straight back at her. Liz laughed at his antics. He was such a goofball. She loved to see this playful side of him.

They carried on playing for about twenty minutes, weaving in and out of the trees and moving about the whole time. Once they'd both tired themselves out, they headed back to the blanket and gratefully sat back down. Ray instantly reached back into the cooler and drew out two more lemonades.

'Well, that was harder work than I remember. Must be a bit out of shape'.

'I thought you did gym work and went running?'

'I do! But it would appear running around like a teenager is maybe a bit beyond me now'

Liz laughed at him and snuggled into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. 'Ah, well, teenagers are overrated anyway. I much prefer a mature man'.

Ray put his arm around her and pulled her in close, 'Well, that's lucky, sweetheart. I fear my champion frisbee days are behind me'.

Once they'd gotten their breath back, Liz had another idea. 'Would you like to go hire a boat maybe? I mean, I know it's not a battleship or whatever but it'll be fun?'

Ray laughed at her, 'I would much prefer to be in a small rowing boat with you than a battleship. Far less diesel fumes in the air. Plus I wouldn't have to share you with hundreds of woman-starved sailors'.

Liz got up and started to roll up the blanket and put it and the cushions into the bag. Ray stoppered the wine and packed up the food. Within minutes they were down at the small dock, paying for a small rowing boat for an hour. Having stowed all their stuff at one end, Ray helped Liz aboard and waited till she was seated securely at the prow before he too got on. He sat down between the oars and manoeuvred them away from the tiny pier with a couple of quick graceful tugs on the oars. He really does look at home on the water, Liz thought. Even if it is just a rowing boat.

Once they were out in the middle of the lake, Ray shipped the oars and reached back into the cooler. He once again produced the wine and their glasses. 'Would you like some more wine, Lizzy?'

'Absolutely. Having had a snooze and some coffee and some exercise, I think I'm good for more now', she readily agreed.

They sat out in the middle of the lake for some time, just chatting and giggling. However, after about half an hour, it became clear that the weather was turning. They looked up to the sky and saw large grey clouds heading their way.

'Ah, that's a shame', Ray said. 'I think we should probably head back to shore, those look like rain clouds'.

Liz nodded at him but just as she did so, a sudden gust of wind blew out of nowhere and her straw hat was blown off and into the water. She leant over to try to reach it but her arm was too short.

'Here, let me, sweetheart. You just stay there'.

Ray stood and walked up the boat carefully, keeping his weight low. Just as he reached the point at which he could reach the hat, Liz shifted to the side to allow him more room. Unfortunately her moving her weight coincided exactly with Ray leaning out the boat. He stood no chance and fell straight in.

Within seconds his head popped back up and he spat water out his mouth. 'Ray, are you okay? What happened?'

'I'm fine, Lizzy. And what happened was you basically tipped me in by wobbling the boat'. He pulled a stern look at her but couldn't keep it up for long and burst out laughing.

Liz had a worried look on her face and was just about to apologise profusely when he started laughing.

'You jerk!', she said as she moved quickly to the side of the boat he'd fallen off. Her sudden movement caused the boat to lurch again and Ray quickly shot his arm up to steady it.

'Okay, sweetheart. I think it's best you stop moving now'. He grabbed her hat and passed it to her then reached up to hold the sides of the boat. 'If you could sit in the middle on the other side, I should be able to get back in without capsizing us'.

'Should?'

'No guarantees when you're out at sea, Lizzy'

'Ray, it's a lake the size of 6 football pitches'

'I'm sure the same principles apply', he grinned at her.

Liz did as Ray had requested and he easily managed to pull himself up, the boat never in any danger of rolling over.

'So, Ray, were you really an Admiral or did you get that nice uniform in a fancy dress shop?'

Ray chuckled and then flicked some water off his hand towards her. 'That was not my fault. I think you'll find I was scuppered by the landlubber literally rocking the boat'.

Liz giggled, 'Okay, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean to do that. But we should get back now. Those clouds are getting closer and the wind's picking up. Now that you're sodden you're gonna be freezing in no time. Would you like me to row?'

'I thought you said we should get back quickly?'

'Cheeky!'

Ray grinned and once more positioned himself at the oars. 'Hold on tight, Lizzy, I'm gonna open up the engines'.

'Dork'

Ray wasn't kidding though and they were back at the dock in about ninety seconds. They swiftly disembarked and headed back up towards the exit from the park. The wind was pretty strong by now and Ray had started shivering a little. Liz suddenly had an idea and pulled the blanket out of the bag, turning Ray to her and then throwing it around his shoulders and wrapping it tightly about him. He smiled thankfully at her and they continued on back towards her apartment.

Once they got in, Liz put the bags down by the door and went straight to the bathroom to turn the shower on. She came back and grabbed Ray's hand, pulling him towards the bathroom. He looked really cold now and she felt so guilty about soaking him. She hastened him towards the shower and showed him where the clean towels were before heading back out into the living area. Whilst he was in there she put the food and drinks from the cooler into the fridge and tidied up the apartment a little. Before too long, she heard the shower stop and she turned towards the bathroom door just as Ray opened it.

He stood there with just the towel wrapped around his waist. 'Er, Lizzy, I don't have any spare clothes. What should I…'

But the rest of his sentence was just a blur to Lizzy. She was captivated by the sight of his perfect chest and arms. He had wonderful muscle tone, broad shoulders, just the right amount of chest hair. And, as an added bonus, his calves were well-defined too. She felt her mouth fall open and knew she couldn't hide the fact she'd been caught lusting over him.

Ray smirked, 'Earth to Lizzy, come in'.

'God, sorry, I, um, I was just thinking what to do about your clothes. If I put them in the dryer they probably won't take too long. Here, hand me them'.

Ray leant back into the bathroom and picked them up. Liz took them and went straight to the small washer/dryer she had in the kitchen. After quickly squeezing out as much water as she could in the sink, she placed them in the dryer and turned it on.

She then turned back to Ray. 'I'm sorry, I really don't know if I've got anything that would fit you. Shall I get you a blanket to wrap round yourself for now?'

'Actually, I'm okay now. That shower was wonderfully warm and I'm sure my clothes won't take long'.

Liz gulped at the thought of him not putting any more clothes on and turned to the kettle, 'Well, let me at least make you a hot drink'.

As she was turned away, Ray walked up behind her and placed his hands on her waist. 'It's okay, sweetheart', he breathed in her ear, 'I'm not in the slightest bit cold now'.

She turned back to him and, before she could overthink it, threw her hands around his neck and pulled him down towards her. Their kiss was anything but gentle this time. They both knew that the moment had arrived.

Liz pulled back for a second to look Ray in the eyes. His pupils were huge and black and she could tell he was hugely turned on. She smiled up at him and said in a low voice, 'Okay, Ray, I think maybe I'm ready this time. Kiss me again'.

'My pleasure'.


	8. Chapter 8

As Ray leant back in to kiss Liz again he shuffled her gently backwards until she was against the counter. He then reached forward and swept away the few items that were behind her. Without any preamble, he lifted her with ease and placed her on the counter, not breaking the kiss for one second as he did so.

Liz moaned into his mouth as she was lifted and instantly opened her legs to wrap them around Ray's waist. She then used the leverage she gained from that to pull him in tight against her. She could feel that he was already aroused and ready for her. Pulling back from him slightly she met his eyes and looked into them, needing a brief mental connection to the man with whom she was about to make love. He looked at her with unguarded lust but smiled at her reassuringly at the same time, reaching his hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear and stroke her cheek. She then dropped her hands from his shoulders and placed them on his chest. He was so warm after his shower and his chest hair was wonderfully fluffy from being towelled dry. She put her hands back behind his head and pulled him towards her, reattaching her lips to his and using her legs again to pull him in as tight as she could.

After a few seconds, this time it was Ray who paused in kissing her, 'Sweetheart, are you sure you want this? There's absolutely no rush. I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you'.

'I want this, Ray. I know it's only been a short while we've known each other but I feel like I've known you for so long already. I've never wanted a man so much'.

Ray grinned and went back to exploring her mouth with his tongue. Their kissing was perfectly balanced between tender and loving and passionate and hungry. Both of them were becoming so turned on by their kisses alone that they felt they couldn't wait much longer. Sensing this, Ray pulled away from Liz for a second and reached behind him for a stool from her kitchen island. He pulled it up close to her and sat down between her legs. Liz could tell at once what was on his mind and briefly felt very exposed as he slowly lifted her dress up to her waist, exposing her already soaked panties. However, her moment of vulnerability passed the second he lifted one of her legs and, having kissed her behind her knee, placed it over his shoulder. He then repeated this act with her other leg and she found that he had basically trapped himself with his mouth just inches from where she most needed him.

Ray glanced up at Liz and looked to see if he had permission, ever the gentleman. Liz couldn't find any words at that moment and so just nodded slightly and reached out to hold the back of his head. Ray then bent his head down and started to kiss her thigh, moving slowly, torturously slowly, up towards her centre. Liz threw her head back the second his lips reached their goal. His tongue darted out and pressed firmly on her clit and then he moved his mouth further down and sucked at her opening, pulling the material of her panties into his mouth as he did so. Liz cried out and jerked her hips; she couldn't remember feeling this turned on before in her life.

Ray then pulled his mouth away and Liz looked down, slightly disappointed that his attentions had been so brief. However, she need not have worried. He lifted her legs from his shoulders and held them up in the air. He then stood up slightly, enough that her ass came up off the counter, Liz placing her hands behind her to keep her balance. Once this was achieved he reached down and found the edges of her underwear, pulling them off easily and negotiating their removal by ducking his head down. With no preamble whatsoever, he then sat down again and pulled the stool back up close.

'Lizzy, you taste heavenly. I'm never going to get enough of your beautiful flavour'

Liz gasped loudly as this time his tongue met with no resistance and went straight inside her, as deep as Ray could manage. At the same time he used his nose to nuzzle at her clit and Liz started to see stars. Surely she couldn't come this quickly, she thought to herself? But it was the last thought she had because she did indeed reach her peak just seconds later and groaned as if in pain as she came into Ray's mouth, his lips, tongue and nose not stopping their ministrations for even one second until the last spasm had passed through her.

He pulled back then and looked at her. As she slowly came back to herself, she looked down at him. She managed a weak smile, still reeling from her incredible high. He grinned back at her, a deeply lascivious look on his face. Standing up, he reached behind her and held her around the waist, lifting her up and into his arms.

'Where's the bedroom?'

'First door past the bathroom….'

They found themselves in the bedroom in no time and Ray placed Liz on the bed with reverence. He hadn't come close to finishing his exploration of her body. But now he needed to see more of it. He bent down over her and lifted her dress up and over her head before turning away to throw it on the chair behind him. Next off were her sandals. As he was doing this, Liz removed her bra herself and as Ray turned back from dropping her footwear onto the floor he was greeted by the wonderful sight of her breasts for the first time. He immediately moved over her on the bed and used his weight to gently push her till she was lying down. One hand went to her left breast and his mouth moved straight to her other one.

Liz was in heaven. Ray was worshipping her in a way she'd never before experienced. She couldn't help but compare his devoted attention to her pleasure with the way that Tom had always just taken what he'd needed and then lost all interest. She told herself off for even thinking about Tom at a time like this and reached out to Ray's head, holding him close to her breast, enjoying the feel of the way his tongue licked and his teeth gently nipped at her.

Ray lifted Liz by the hips and moved them both back further up the bed until they were completely lying on it. He pulled back again to look at her and couldn't help the huge smile that graced his face. Liz looked back at him and grinned too. Damn, he was handsome. And so sweet. She decided that'd she'd hogged enough of the fun up till now and, using her hips, she managed to flip him onto his back. He looked stunned for a second and then laughed at her, loving how playful she'd become.

Liz moved back down his body until she was straddling his knees. She then tugged at the towel that had somehow managed to remain in situ thus far. Pulling it open, Ray's erection instantly popped up and Liz gasped at the size of it. She'd had some idea from holding him between her legs in the kitchen that he was larger than average but what she saw now made her lick her lips. Ray reached down and took hold of her hand, pulling it towards him and placing it where he needed it. She wrapped her hand around him and stroked him a few times, Ray's eyes closing and his teeth gritting together with pleasure. Whilst he was unable to see what she was doing, she bent over him and, opening her mouth as wide as she could, she took him in deeply and clamped her lips around him.

Ray called out her name in a strangled voice as she did this but managed to stop from bucking into her further. His hands found her head and lost themselves in her hair. She then bobbed her head up and down a few times, whilst her hands gripped his shaft and fondled his balls. She was really enjoying herself now. Ray had given her a heavenly experience on her kitchen counter and she was determined to do the same for him. However, after another minute of her ministrations, he gently pulled on her hair, forcing her to let him go. She looked up at him questioningly and realised that he was closer than she'd realised. He had beads of sweat on his face and his chest was heaving with the pace of his breathing.

Ray pulled her back up towards him and their mouths met in a messy kiss, both now too far gone to be anything other than purely lustful. Ray used this distraction to push Liz over onto her back and move back over her in one brief tangle of limbs. He was now between her legs and she could feel his swollen head pushing at her folds, covering itself in her juices.

Liz couldn't wait another second. She reached down and pulled him into place. Now all she needed was for him to move his hips slightly and they would become one for the first time. She looked up into his eyes, the pupils large and dark. He ducked his head and kissed her softly and as he did so, he moved his hips a little and started to push into her. She groaned and her head pushed back deeply into the pillow as he stretched her, slowly filling her inch by inch. He didn't rush her though and continuously kissed her neck and stroked her arms and shoulders as he did so, being carefully attentive to any signs that he was moving too fast.

Once he was fully inside her, Liz took a few seconds to allow herself to adjust. She had her face buried in Ray's neck and was panting slightly. He kept kissing her and stroking her hair, whispering all kinds of beautiful sentiments straight into her ear. She then tilted her hips a little and started moving them, encouraging him to do likewise. Ray took the hint at once and slowly pulled out of her, just a little, before pushing back in. A few more strokes like this and Liz felt ready to speed things up. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, as high as she could. This allowed Ray to move a little deeper inside her and he groaned as he pushed further in. His mouth remained next to her face, kissing her occasionally and still talking to her. She placed her lips over his earlobe and sucked it into her mouth, nipping at it a little as she pulled back. Ray grunted slightly and then started to pick up the pace.

As they started moving faster and faster, they both lost the ability to kiss anymore, such was their need for oxygen. Ray was setting a near frantic pace and Liz was keeping right up with him, the friction they were creating driving them both swiftly towards oblivion. Liz could feel her second orgasm building up and she suspected Ray wouldn't be far behind, judging by how erratic his thrusts had become and the way he'd screwed his face up in what could pass for pain did she not know better. She started using her inner muscles to increase both their sensations and that was all it took, Ray pumping out into her and letting out a deep growl as he did so. Liz joined him with her climax and her breath shuddered out of her as she clung on for dear life to his back, digging her fingernails into his skin.

They lay together for quite some time afterwards, Liz keeping Ray on top of her, despite him indicating he should move, 'Please don't. Let me hold you'.

He lay with his head on her shoulder, keeping at least some of his weight off her with his forearms, and allowing her to stroke his hair and kiss him over and over on his forehead, temples and eyelids. He somehow managed to summon the energy to look up at Liz and as he did so, she caught his eye and they both knew, right in that instant, what the other was feeling. They may only have known each other for a few weeks and this may only be their second date but they were already deeply and hopelessly in love with each other.


	9. Chapter 9

Ray and Liz lay in bed together for another hour, just kissing and talking and giggling. Ray couldn't stop running his hands over Liz's body and she, in turn, just loved the feel of his shorn hair under her fingertips, repeatedly stroking over his scalp and sometimes nuzzling her nose behind his ears.

Eventually Liz made to sit up and get out of bed, 'I'm starving, Ray, shall we go see what's left from lunch?'

Ray pulled a pouty face and Liz laughed at him, 'Come on, I know you've gotta be hungry by now'.

'Yeah, a little. But do you promise we'll come straight back to bed after?'

Liz leant down and gave him a deep kiss. 'I promise. There's nowhere on earth I'd rather be right now'.

Liz pulled her dress back on and headed into the kitchen. She fetched Ray's shorts from the dryer and handed them to him as he strolled into the kitchen, happily letting it all hang out.

'Much as I'm enjoying the floor show, I wouldn't wanna get that delicious salami you brought mixed up with anything else once I've got a knife in my hand', Liz said, giggling at Ray's horrified face. He hastily pulled on his shorts and then grabbed Liz from behind as she walked away, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him.

Before he could distract her further from her intended target of the fridge, Liz turned her head and kissed him before pulling his arms away from her, 'Food first. Then I'm all yours again'.

'There's only one thing I want to eat right now, sweetheart'

Liz actually felt herself blushing at his words and laughed at him as she looked up to see him waggling his eyebrows at her and licking his lips.

'Oh, dear. It appears I've found myself an insatiable man. What is a girl to do?' Just as Ray opened his mouth to say something, Liz carried on, 'But no, that wasn't a question that requires an answer. Not right now anyway. Go make yourself useful and get some food from the fridge whilst I fetch some plates and cutlery'.

'Yes, Ma'am', Ray said and mock saluted her.

In a couple of minutes they were sitting round her kitchen island, tucking hungrily into the remains of the picnic. Liz couldn't help but let her mind drift back to what had occurred the last time Ray had sat on the stool he was currently perched on and smiled to herself, reaching over and stroking his arm. He looked up at her and smiled back before holding up a grape to her mouth for her to enjoy. She took it from him, allowing herself to suck his finger into her mouth briefly as she did so. Ray's eyes widened slightly and he let out a low groan.

'Oh, Lizzy, please tell me you've nearly finished eating, I'm struggling to control myself here'.

She patted his hand as she placed it back in front of him, 'Very nearly. I've a feeling I'm going to need all the sustenance I can take on board if I'm going to survive the rest of today and tonight though'.

'Mmm, yes, you could be right', Ray replied as he reached out for some rice wrapped in fig leaves and put them on his plate.

Liz watched him as he ate. He already looked so at home in her apartment, just sitting there in his shorts, his perfect broad chest and shoulders hunched over his food. She wanted nothing more than to reach over and stroke her hand through his chest hair but knew that any more distractions from her and he really wouldn't be able to control himself much longer. She smiled at him and almost felt herself tearing up. She was so happy. She'd found herself the perfect man in every regard and she just couldn't believe this was happening to her after her disastrous marriage to Tom.

Ray glanced up and looked at her, finding himself staring straight into her blue eyes, shimmering with tears.

'Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?' He reached over and grabbed her hand at once, a worried look on his face. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine. Please, don't worry. I was just thinking how happy I am right now and how much I…. Enjoy being with you'

Ray knew she had come close to saying something much more serious than that just then and his heart skipped a little. He looked into her eyes and saw that her tears hadn't quite dissipated yet. He couldn't help himself and stood up from his stool, stepping towards her and pulling her into his chest.

'Lizzy, I can't even put into words how much I enjoy being with you too. You've made me the happiest man in the world'. He bent his head and kissed her hair, stroking her back as he did so. They remained like that for a little while before Ray sat back down, keeping a hold of her hand.

After they'd finished eating what they could, Liz got up and put what was left back in the fridge whilst Ray put the dishes in the dishwasher. As he was bending over to put the last of the cutlery in the box on the lower level, he felt a hand connect with his ass. He turned to Liz, ready to return the favour, but she'd already run out of the room.

'You little rascal, don't think you're getting away with that', he laughed as he chased her towards the bedroom.

By the time he got there, Liz had already pulled her dress up and off and was standing at the foot of the bed, her head tilted down, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Ray walked towards her, overcome with the affection he had for this woman. He reached out and held her under her chin, tilting her head towards him. The kiss they shared was full of tenderness. Liz reached around Ray's back and ran her hands up and down his well defined muscles. He placed his hands on her ass and lifted her up and into his arms, her legs automatically going to wrap around him. She pulled back just for a second and their eyes met, full of feeling.

'Make love to me, Ray'

'Yes'

He placed her gently on the bed and then quickly pulled off his shorts, letting them drop to the floor. He then covered her body with his and started kissing her face, her neck, her shoulders, everywhere he could reach. Liz gasped and placed her hands on his shoulders, enjoying feeling the sheer strength she could detect coiled within the muscles there. Ray, by now, had made his way to her navel and dipped his tongue in briefly before moving on. Liz was squirming beneath him, he was touching her in all the right places. As he arrived at his destination, he looked up to Liz and saw her looking back at him, her mouth hanging open a little, already breathless. He reached one hand out and took hold of one of hers, their fingers slipping together perfectly, and then ducked his head down to her core. This time he was determined to make it last much longer than it had in the kitchen and he started by kissing her just to either side of where she most wanted him, running his tongue slowly but firmly up and down, mere millimetres from her lips.

Liz moaned loudly but knew that she wouldn't have to wait too long. And she was right, as Ray used his free hand to hold her open, he slipped his tongue inside her and darted it in and out a few times, never too deep. Liz bucked underneath him, desperate for more contact. He smiled to himself and pulled back a little. He then turned his attention to her clit, licking over it firmly, just once. Liz groaned again and was just about to grab his head and hold it in place when he returned to her entrance and slowly pushed one of his fingers inside her at the same time as securing her clit between his lips and sucking it into his mouth. Now Liz knew she wasn't going to last long. Again! What this man could do with his mouth was sorcery. Ray continued sucking her clit and then added a second and then a third finger inside her. He started to pump them in and out, all the time grasping her hand tightly and licking and sucking at her clit. Just a few seconds later, Liz stilled and let out a strangled cry, her sex contracting around Ray's fingers and her juices pouring out and over his mouth and hand.

Once she had recovered, she looked down at him and saw him staring at her in awe.

'That was the sexiest sight I've ever seen', Ray said to her as he watched her come down from her high.

Liz couldn't even form a response and instead tugged on his hand to bring him back up to her level. He came gladly and allowed her to kiss him and hold his head tight against her breasts as she got her breath back and slowly came back to herself.

Once she had recovered enough, she pushed on Ray's shoulders to get him to sit up a little and as he did so, she indicated that he should roll onto his back. Once he was in place, his head propped up by two pillows, Liz crawled over him and sat astride his stomach, the wetness Ray could feel between her legs rubbing off on him and making him groan. Liz leant forward and started to bite his neck, running her hands all over his chest as she did. Ray's hands were grabbing her ass and rhythmically pulling her closer to him, desperate to be inside her again.

Liz ran her tongue over one of Ray's nipples then bit it, just hard enough. Ray groaned loudly and bucked his hips, his hard arousal moving between her ass cheeks as she was held in place by his hands. Liz grinned at his reaction and started to lift herself. Much as she was having a lot of fun teasing him, she needed him back inside her just as much as he did. She reached down between them and positioned him then looked up at his face as she slowly started to sink down onto him. Ray struggled to maintain eye contact, such was the bliss he felt as her tight, wet heat once again engulfed him. But he kept looking at her, sensing it was important to her that they had an emotional as well as a physical connection during this moment.

Once Ray was buried as deep into Liz as he could be, Liz took hold of one of Ray's hands and held it to her breast, his other hand remained spread between her hip and her ass, helping keep her steady. He started to squeeze her breast and erect nipple in time with her moving up and down and they settled into a slow, luxurious tempo. Ray was more than happy to let Liz set the pace, he was enjoying the sensations he could feel from her squeezing her inner muscles as she lifted her hips each time. Looking up at her, she had her eyes closed now and her mouth was open, her head tilted back a little, exposing her long neck. He longed to sit up and kiss her there but didn't want to disturb her rhythm, she was clearly finding their current position just right for her. Instead he just stared at her as she started to increase the pace a little, her brow creasing and her breath sounds getting quicker.

After a few more minutes, Liz's movements were getting more frantic. Again Ray thought about moving, this time to throw her on her back and pound himself into her. However, he had no intention of doing so. This time it was all about her. And he loved seeing how much she had let herself go with him. He moved his hand that was on her breast down to her hip to help hold her in place as she started thrusting and bucking ever more erratically. Suddenly Liz reached down to her hip and grabbed the hand that Ray had just placed there. She moved it to her centre, pressing it against her engorged clit. He started rubbing her, keeping up with the timing of her pumping him with her inner muscles. It only took a few seconds of that until they both started to feel themselves tipping over the edge, Ray firmly rubbing her and Liz's core milking his shaft. They both cried out at near enough the same time and Liz collapsed, absolutely exhausted, onto his chest.

This time it took them both a lot longer to recover. They were completely out of breath and pouring with sweat. Liz lay on his broad chest, her breath tickling the hair there and Ray stroked his hand over her head, his other hand holding her close to him by the waist.

About half an hour later, Liz woke up. She had no memory of dropping off but she obviously had. She looked up at Ray to see him staring at her, a huge, soppy grin on his face.

'Good evening, sweetheart. Nice nap?'

'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep'

Ray chuckled at her, 'Don't be silly, no need to apologise. And I've very much enjoyed just holding you close for the last thirty minutes or so'. He bent his head and kissed her forehead then pushed her hair back out of her face.

'Man, I'm exhausted. What have you done to me?', Liz asked as she peered up at Ray's face.

'Ha! I'm not taking any credit whatsoever for wearing you out. That last time was all you. And it was blissful', he said as he kissed her forehead again, this time lingering much longer.

Liz squeezed her eyes shut with happiness and reached up to stroke his sideburn and cheek, 'Yeah, it wasn't bad, was it?'

Ray laughed and sat up, taking her up with him, 'I don't know about you but I think I'm gonna need a shower now'.

'Mmm, yes, that sounds good'.

Liz stood up and moved away from the bed, Ray following close behind. She reached her hand out behind her and he immediately took hold of it.

'Of course, if we're both showering, in the interests of saving water…..'

'I completely concur, my dear'.

Once in the shower, Ray lathered up Liz's hair and washed it for her. She, in turn, cleaned his back and took far more time than was necessary to wash his chest hair and stomach. It ended up that they didn't save any water at all as their joint shower took them nearly forty minutes to finish.

Wrapped in a towel, Liz headed into the kitchen and flicked the kettle on. Ray came in just after her and leant against the counter, mere inches away. He couldn't stop staring at her and smiling. Liz was trying to be blasé about it but every time she caught his eye, she grinned back at him openly.

Having made them each a cup of herbal tea, they sat on the couch together to drink them.

'So, Ray. It's kinda late. I was wondering if you'd maybe like to stay over? I mean, I know you don't have any clean clothes with you. And you've probably got work tomorrow. And…..'

'Yes'

'Hmm?'

'Of course I'll stay. I was hoping you'd ask', Ray smiled at her. 'Besides, I don't need to be in till half past ten tomorrow morning. That's plenty time for me to go home and change'.

Liz smiled at him and held his hand to her cheek, kissing his palm. 'Thank you'.

'It's not exactly a hardship on my part, Lizzy'

'Not just that. For everything. Today has been perfect'.

'Oh, for me too, my sweet girl, for me too'. Ray set his tea down and Liz's too and took her in his arms. 'Do you know what would make the perfect ending to the perfect day?'

Liz shook her head, blinking her eyes at him in an entirely unconvincing approximation of innocence.

'Allow me to demonstrate', Ray said as he pulled Liz's towel open and moved closer.

Liz's alarm clock blared out loudly the next morning and she groaned and reached her hand out blindly to turn it off. Instead she felt a nose and mouth and she sat up quickly, slightly shocked. Ray was staring at her intently, trying hard not to laugh.

'Good morning, Lizzy. You can try using my nose to turn off your alarm but I'm not convinced it's going to work'.

Liz giggled and moved over him to reach her alarm on the bedside table, 'Sorry about that. It's been a while since I shared my bed'. She gently kissed his mouth as she moved back.

Ray reached up and held her head gently between his hands, deepening the kiss. Liz moaned and pulled herself away reluctantly.

'No, no, no. You're going to have to stop. I need to be in work in an hour'.

Ray pouted as Liz got up out of bed but she just laughed at him and threw her pillow at his face. 'Come on Admiral, I'm sure you're used to getting up and ready in mere minutes'.

Ray sighed and sat up, looking around the room for his shorts.

As they left the apartment, Liz slipped her hand into Ray's and they walked to the end of the small pathway together. Liz stopped once they reached the sidewalk and turned to Ray. She was just about to say something to him but he jumped in first, 'I can't say goodbye to you yet. How's about I walk you to work?'

'But that's the complete opposite direction to your house? You'd need to walk into town, back to yours and then back to town?'

'Don't mind. Can't bear to leave you'.

Liz felt herself tearing up again a little and leant into him for a hug. 'You're such a big softy, you know that?'

'Shhh, it's a secret. No one can ever know', Ray said as he reached out and took Liz's briefcase from her hand.

They broke apart and started walking again, holding hands and stealing the occasional kiss.

All too soon, they reached the front door of Liz's office. She turned to him and he placed her briefcase at her feet then put his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a breathtaking kiss. When they pulled apart, Liz looked quite flustered and Ray laughed gently at her, 'You may need to reapply your lipstick before your first patient, sweetheart'.

Liz pretended to scowl at him but then just laughed. 'When will I see you again, Ray?'

'I have to work tonight. But I can take tomorrow night off. Would that be okay?'

'Great', Liz beamed. 'And it's my turn to spoil you, don't think I've forgotten'.

'I look forward to it', Ray said as he leant in one final time for a quick, tender kiss. 'See you tomorrow, Lizzy. I hope you have a good couple of days'.

'You too, Ray, you too'.

Neither of them noticed the female figure sitting outside the small café on the other side of the street. Amber Gordon had a look of thunder on her face as she watched them hugging and kissing. All of a sudden, a nasty smirk darkened her features further and she reached into her purse, searching for her cellphone.


	10. Chapter 10

On Tuesday morning, Ray arrived at the restaurant and opened up. Tonight was the night of his next date with Liz and he'd still not been informed by her what it was they were going to be doing. He smiled to himself as he thought of her, just as he had done on the other countless occasions she'd crossed his mind since the previous morning. Sitting down at his desk, he decided to get started on some paperwork before any of the other staff arrived.

Half an hour later, his phone rang and he grabbed it quickly, hoping it was Liz. However, the name that flashed up on the screen was that of Tony, his head chef. His brow furrowing slightly, he answered the call.

Liz's third patient of the day left at eleven-thirty and she reached for her cellphone, deciding she'd let Ray ponder long enough as to what they were going to be doing tonight. However, the first thing she noticed when she looked at the screen was that she had a message from him. She clicked on a button and waited to hear his voice.

"Hi Lizzy, it's Ray. I'm so sorry about this but I'm going to have to postpone seeing you tonight. My head chef has just called in sick with a migraine and I'm going to be needed in the kitchen later to make up the numbers. I'm really sorry, I was looking forward to seeing you so much. Tony says his migraines tend only to last twelve hours or so, so I was hoping maybe we could rearrange for tomorrow night? Let me know, sweetheart…."

Liz hung up her phone and sighed. She had practically been counting down the minutes and seconds until she saw Ray again and now she'd have to add another twenty-four hours to her countdown. She heard her next patient coming in the front door and quickly shot off a text to Ray saying that tomorrow night was fine. She had been hoping to take him to the opening of an art exhibition tonight but now that was off the cards. She decided at lunchtime she'd pour through the 'What's Happening' section of the local newspaper and find something else for them to do instead.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Ray as he found himself barely leaving the kitchen. Despite the fact he was no cordon bleu chef, he was more than competent enough to help the rest of his staff cope with the loss of Tony. When he got home, just after midnight, he was absolutely shattered. Lying in bed, he read Liz's text one more time, "Tomorrow night's fine. Will call you at lunchtime, Lizzy x". He knew he was acting like an infatuated teenager but something about the 'x' at the end of her text made him so happy. That and the fact she called herself by his nickname for her, rather than just 'Liz'. Turning his phone off, he rolled over and was asleep within minutes.

The next morning, when Ray got into work, just in time to help start the lunchtime preparations, he was happy to see that Tony was in place in the kitchen. Having quickly checked with him that he was okay and able to work that day, he then informed his deputy manager that he'd be taking the evening off. Returning to his office, he sat and did some more paperwork, whilst checking his phone at least once every five minutes, desperate not to miss Liz's call.

At one minute past one his phone rang and he reached for it so quickly he nearly sent it flying off the edge of his desk.

'Lizzy! How are you?'

'Hey there, Ray. I'm good, thank you. It's so nice to hear your voice again'.

'Me too, sweetheart. I've missed you'.

'Aw, there's my big softy again', Liz said with a light chuckle in her voice, 'I've missed you too though'.

'I'm so sorry about last night. If there was anything I could've done, I would've. Being the boss can be a pain in the ass sometimes'.

'Yeah, don't I know it', Liz agreed, glancing down at her full diary for the rest of the day.

'So, Ray, tonight….. I was thinking you could pick me up at about six-thirty? On foot, assuming you would like a beer or ten?'

Ray laughed at her, 'I'm not sure about ten. I think I learnt my lesson the last time I had ten beers on a school night. But, yes, that sounds perfect. Do I get any more clues, other than that alcohol may be involved?'

'Nope. However, wear something kinda relaxed, you know, no tie'

'That I can do. Okay, I'll see you at half-past six. I can't wait'.

'Me neither, Ray. See you tonight'.

Liz hung up the phone and sat there with a huge smile on her face. She'd missed him like crazy the last couple of days and just hearing his voice was enough to make the rest of her afternoon pass in no time. At five o'clock her last patient of the day left her office and Liz hastily packed up and headed out. She was home in record time and went straight into the shower, realising she'd put absolutely no thought at all into what she was going to wear tonight. She wanted to look sexy but not like she was trying too hard. Once she'd finished in the shower, she went straight to her closet and started rummaging.

At six twenty-nine, and Liz couldn't help rolling her eyes at Ray's promptness yet again, her doorbell rang. She was lucky she wasn't one of those women who was frequently running half an hour late when getting ready for a night out; Ray was obviously always very punctual. She picked up a light jacket and her purse and nearly ran down the stairs, such was her eagerness to see him. Yanking open the front door, she saw he was standing right on the doorstep, a massive smile already plastered over his face in anticipation of seeing her.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was in his arms and they were kissing. Neither of them had even managed to get a word out before they'd thrown themselves at each other. The kiss was delicious and lasted long enough they were both running low on breath. Reluctantly they pulled apart and rested their foreheads against each other's.

'I missed you so much, Lizzy'

'I know'

Ray quirked an eyebrow at her and she laughed at him before briefly pecking another kiss on his lips, ''I missed you too, Ray. You know I did'. Taking a step back from him, she gave herself a chance to drink in what he was wearing and how good he looked. Ray had chosen a dark brown pair of slacks and vest over a white shirt. Liz thought he looked good enough to eat.

'Very nice, Admiral. Smart but not too smart. Sexy without trying too hard. I'll give your outfit an A+'

Ray had been turning in a circle as she'd assessed him and she couldn't help but slap his ass as his back was to her, 'Ooh, Lizzy, if you actually want to go out tonight, you'd better not keep that up, my dear', he said as he kissed her again. She kissed him back, giggling.

'And you don't scrub up too badly yourself'

Liz had just grabbed a pale blue dress she had and matched it with some black kitten heels. She'd put her hair up for a change and applied minimal make-up.

'Not too badly?', she huffed and slapped at his ass again with her purse. 'For that, you're buying the first drink!'

'I thought it was my turn to get spoiled tonight?', Ray asked with a cocky smile on his face.

'Plans can change if you're too cheeky, you know'.

They set off down the road together, hand in hand, heading back into town. Liz still hadn't told Ray where they were going as she wanted it to be a surprise. She had no idea if he already knew about the event she was taking him to but she hoped he didn't. They walked right down the length of Main Street and took a right at the far end, heading for the High School. Once there, Liz paid for two tickets at the gate and they headed on inside. At last Ray could see what they were going to be doing tonight. There was a live music event taking place on the football field, with a huge stage at one end and various refreshment stalls on the running track either side. It was just a fundraiser for the school itself but the various musicians playing were professionals, rather than students. He turned to Liz and smiled at her,

'This looks perfect, Lizzy'

'Well, I was thinking about our first night out together, at the Post Office. And how much you said you loved live music. It's supposed to be a mixture of blues and soul. There's a piano and everything', she said as she nudged him gently.

Ray turned and cast his gaze upon the stage, taking in just how many instruments and musicians were up there.

'This looks fabulous. A wonderful idea, my sweet', he said as he leant down and kissed her gently.

Liz pulled away after a few seconds and grabbed his hand, 'Come on, let me buy you some dinner. They've got all kinds of stuff; what would you like?'

Ray looked up and down the various stalls. They did, indeed, seem to have a vast selection of various cuisines. However, there was one in particular that made his eyes light up. He started walking Liz towards the hot dog stand.

'Seriously, I'm offering you anything you'd like and you want a hot dog?', Liz asked him, laughing in disbelief. 'Not something just a little more highbrow?'

'Oh, no, this is just what I want. Ever since I missed out on one on Memorial Day, I've had hot dogs on the brain ever since'.

'Okay, well, it's your choice. And a cheap date for me'

Ray laughed as they took their place in line, 'Well, I'll try to make up for it by having an inappropriate amount of expensive beer, if it'll make you feel better?'

'I thought you said you'd learnt your lesson last time?'

'It'll be fine. I'll just miss out the scotch this time'.

Liz looked at him doubtingly and shook her head, 'Okay, sailor, let's see if you can hold your rum a bit better this time'.

Once they each had their hot dogs, both with all the trimmings, they went and perched on the front row of seats in the grandstand. The music was due to start in under half an hour and as they wanted to get a good spot near the front so they could see the musicians at work, they both made short work of their dinner. Once they were done, they moved towards the stage, picking up a pitcher of beer for Ray and a bottle of Chardonnay for Liz en route.

'I am so going to regret this in the morning, aren't I?'

'You'll be fine, Lizzy. By my calculations, this is still less than half of what we drank last time!'

They found a spot not too far away from the stage and sat down, Liz cursing the fact she'd forgotten to bring a picnic blanket with her. Still, the ground was dry so it wasn't really a problem. Sitting side by side, Ray slipped his arm around Liz's waist and pulled her in close, kissing her on her cheek.

'Thank you, my dear. This really was a great idea'.

'You've not heard the band yet; it may still all be a disaster'.

'Well, I've eaten a delicious hot dog, I have a pitcher of beer and I have the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms. I'm thinking it's already been a perfect evening', Ray said as he leant in and nuzzled gently at Liz's neck. She giggled as he was tickling her and pushed him away slightly. She was also feeling a little self-conscious as she'd not yet ascertained if there was anyone there that she knew and didn't want to be caught canoodling like a teenager. The fact they were on the grounds of the High School she'd attended just added to the feeling that she was doing something naughty.

Ray poured himself a beer and a glass of wine for Liz and they both sat back to listen as the first band of the night started playing.

Amber Gordon couldn't believe her eyes when she spotted Ray and Liz sitting on the grass near the stage. They were all over each other. Ray kept kissing Liz's neck and his hands were roaming all over her back, occasionally dipping down to squeeze her ass. And Liz's hand was somewhere in the region of Ray's upper thigh, she couldn't see more than that. She pursed her lips and glared at them both, the hypocrisy of her outrage completely lost on her. The fact that someone like her, who threw herself all over men she barely knew, could be so aghast at Ray and Liz's behaviour could almost have been laughable, had she not had revenge on her mind. She had set her sights on Ray and wasn't used to being usurped by another woman. She pulled out her cell phone and called a number she had last called first thing Monday morning.

By half-past nine, Ray and Liz were both feeling the effects of their long-finished beer and wine and were standing up to listen to the music. Ray was behind Liz and had his hands clasped round her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder. She was leaning back into him, turning her head often to kiss his cheek or nibble at his earlobe. They could each feel themselves getting more and more turned on as they swayed together in time to the music and the rock-hard bulge poking straight into Liz's lower back left her in no doubt as to just how turned on Ray was. She turned her head to him and whispered in his ear. He pulled away and looked at her, slightly shocked. But when he saw the mischievous look on her face, his shock quickly disappeared and he smiled at her, a newly acquired devilish glint in his eyes. He nodded to her once and she bent down to pick up her purse before taking a hold of his hand and leading him off the field in the direction of the main school building.

Meanwhile, Amber was checking her watch, frustrated at how long the man she had called was taking. She kept looking over towards the entrance but nobody new had come through the gates in over half an hour. Sighing dramatically, she turned back to where Ray and Liz were sitting and noticed, to her extreme consternation, that they must have moved. Cursing the name of the man who was keeping her waiting, she started to move through the crowd, determined to find them again.

Liz pulled Ray behind the main school building towards some smaller buildings out on the far side of the grounds. There were various structures here, mainly used for storage or for groundskeeping equipment and Liz knew there was one spot that would be just perfect for what she had planned. They walked between two small sheds and came out into a small alleyway, blocked off at either end by brick walls. As soon as they were out of the lights from the school, she turned to Ray and pushed him back against one of the brick walls, locking her mouth onto his and grabbing his crotch, almost roughly. They had both been so turned on now, for what felt like hours, that Ray had no problem whatsoever with Liz's eagerness. He reached behind her, at the same time as deepening their kiss, and grabbed her ass, pulling her tightly against his straining member.

Just as she was about to pull out her cellphone and call him again, Amber saw the man she was waiting for striding towards her.

'About time, where have you been?'

'Doesn't matter. Where are they?'

'I don't know. I was so distracted with looking out for you that they must've moved away and now I can't find them anywhere'.

The man glanced around the field and over towards the refreshment stalls, 'Do you think they're still here?'

'I'm pretty sure. I was standing near the gate waiting for you and they haven't left. Even when I was in the crowd looking for them, I kept looking at the gate to see if they'd got past me'.

'Okay, I'll take the crowd, you take the stalls. Let's find them'.

Ray couldn't wait any longer. He sank to his knees and pulled Liz down with him. The ground behind the shed was just soil but it was bone dry so neither of them was worried about getting too filthy. He pushed Liz down gently and lowered himself over her, nudging her legs open.

'I've been wanting to be inside you since you opened your door tonight, my beautiful girl. I don't know how I've lasted this long'.

'Me too, Ray', Liz said as she unbuttoned his vest and shirt and ran her hands down his chest.

Ray pulled her dress straps down over her shoulders and nudged her dress down just far enough that her breasts were exposed, Liz having foregone wearing a bra due to the fact her dress had inbuilt support. Ray ducked down and started to lick and suck on her nipples as they swiftly responded to the cooling night air. Meanwhile, Liz had untucked Ray's shirt from his pants and was working on his belt buckle. As they continued kissing, Liz managed to undo his belt and his fly and had released his erection, gently running her hand up and down its length. Ray lifted her dress from the bottom and took hold of her panties, negotiating them off in no time at all. Meanwhile, Liz had pushed Ray's pants down over his ass and taken a firm hold of it. She pulled him towards her and with no further preamble he started to push himself into her. Liz groaned and bit gently down into Ray's shoulder in order to muffle the sound. Despite the fact she was now in her thirties, there was just something about doing this at the school she'd gone to that made her feel completely out of control. And it was all adding wonderfully to the experience.

Ray slowly slid inside Liz, delighted to feel how wet and ready she was for him. He started moving straight away and they both knew this was definitely not going to be a long experience. The previous three hours of being together without being able to get to this point meant that they each felt like they'd undergone enough foreplay to last a lifetime. Liz pulled Ray in as close as she could with her legs and arms and they started rocking together. Ray had placed his arms under Liz's back, at her waist and her shoulders, and was attempting to prevent her from hurting herself from the friction of rubbing on the dry ground.

Before too long, they were both panting and grunting, as loudly as they dared. Ray felt himself starting to reach his peak and he lifted Liz's hips just so in order to change the angle of his thrusts. Liz responded immediately and pulled him in even tighter. Within a few short seconds, they were both climaxing and Ray buried his mouth into Liz's hair in order to minimise the volume of his cry.

They lay there a few more minutes, just kissing and stroking each other. Eventually Ray sat up and helped Liz to her feet and they both rearranged their clothing. They looked at each other and both laughed at the same time.

'I can't believe we just did that. At my school!'

'Well, it was my school too, don't forget. Although it's changed quite a lot since I was here'.

Once they were what they hoped was presentable they made their way back to the football field just in time to hear the last song of the evening. Ducking out from near the back of the stage, they resumed their position and stood there, enveloped in each other's arms, as the band finished up.

Not forty feet away, Amber turned to the man she was standing with, both of them staring pointedly at the backs of Ray and Liz.

'Well, I wonder where they've been. I'm pretty sure that's mud on Liz's pretty little dress, don't you think?'

'Yeah', Tom said, as he ground his teeth together, 'Yeah, I do'.


	11. Chapter 11

Thursday and Friday were busy days and evenings for both Ray and Liz, neither of them able to find a mutual time they could meet up. However, Ray called Liz Thursday night to arrange their next date for the Saturday. He told her he'd pick her up at nine-thirty in the morning and to wear comfortable shoes. Liz had no idea what he had planned but she was already looking forward to it.

Come Saturday morning, Liz had just finished a bowl of cereal when her doorbell rang. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only nine-fifteen. She couldn't believe Ray was turning up early again but quickly ran down the stairs to let him in. However, when she opened the door, he wasn't there. Instead, on the doorstep, was an envelope with her name on it. Frowning a little, she bent down to pick it up and opened it. Inside was a picture of her and Ray from the concert on Wednesday night. Liz knew it was right at the end of the evening as she could see the muddy stain on the back of her dress from her impromptu lovemaking with Ray behind the store sheds. It was a hazy picture, probably taken on a phone. She flipped it over and saw that on the back was written, 'SLUT' in a somewhat childish scrawl.

Ray pulled up at the kerb near Liz's house and shut off the engine. He knew he was early again, a habit he was aware was pretty annoying to most people, but he just couldn't wait to see his girl. Hopping out of the car, he walked briskly towards her apartment and turned onto the pathway. He grinned as soon as he turned the corner as he saw her standing at her front door. However, his smile faltered when he saw the expression on her face.

'Lizzy, what's wrong?'

Liz jumped at Ray's voice and took a sharp inhalation, 'Oh, Ray, you scared me'.

'What is it, sweetheart?'

Ray drew level with Liz and looked down at what she was holding. He immediately recognised the photo but couldn't work out why she had it. She then flipped it over for him and he read the word on the back. Ray's face darkened instantly and he felt his fists clench. Looking up at Liz's face, he saw she was near to tears and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against him. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds before Ray asked, 'Do you know who sent this?'

Liz snuffled against Ray's shoulder but managed to get out a weak, 'No'.

He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. The tears had started to fall now and he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped them away.

'Hush now, Lizzy. I have no idea who may've sent this or why but I'm sure it's just some idiot who thinks he's funny. Someone may've deduced what we got up to on Wednesday night and thought they'd play a practical joke on you or something'.

Ray wasn't convinced by his own theory but he wanted to remove the look of fear from Liz's eyes. She nodded slightly at his words and bit her lip, trying not to cry any more.

'Come on, let's go inside and sit down for a bit. The place I want to take you today isn't going anywhere'.

Ray led Liz up the stairs to her apartment and once they got inside he made her sit on her couch whilst he fetched her a glass of water from the kitchen. When he came back she was still staring at the picture. He took it from her hands and replaced it with the glass.

'No need to give that any more attention than it deserves. We'll keep a hold of it for now but let's not worry too much, eh sweetie?'

Liz looked up into Ray's eyes and then leant towards him, allowing herself to be wrapped in his embrace again. He stroked her arms and nuzzled his nose into the hair above her ear, gently rocking her from side to side. After a few minutes of this, Liz felt much better and pulled back a little.

'Okay, you're right. This was probably one of the students at the school. They may've seen or at least guessed what we were up to and thought it'd be hilarious to do this. Screw 'em!'

Ray beamed at her, 'That's my girl', he said as he kissed her firmly on her lips. 'Well, they may think they were being funny but they were sadly mistaken. If anything else like this happens, I'll track down the little punks and give them what for, don't you worry'.

Liz smiled at Ray and squeezed his arm. 'Okay, mister. We going on a date or what?'

Ray stood up and offered his arm to Liz, 'Hell, yeah, we're going on a date. Grab your stuff and let's get going'.

Within minutes they were in Ray's car and heading out of town. Ray still hadn't told Liz where they were going but he had said it'd take an hour to get there. As they left the town limits he glanced at her and saw that she still had a frown on her face. Reaching over to the stereo, he turned it on and pumped up the volume a little. One of Ray's weaknesses when driving was music you could sing along to, rather than the kind of music he'd actually go to see live. As Queen's Greatest Hits started blaring from the speakers, Ray took hold of Liz's hand and began to sing along in what was, all things considered, a pretty terrible singing voice. However, his enthusiasm and the range of ridiculous facial expressions he was pulling soon cheered Liz up. After the first couple of verses she even joined in for the chorus. They were so distracted by singing along, trying and failing to reach the range of Freddie Mercury's voice, that neither of them noticed the car that was following them from a distance.

After forty-five minutes on the freeway, Ray pulled off and Liz suddenly twigged as to where they were going.

'Ray, are you taking me to the zoo?', she asked, peeking over at him.

'I am. If that's okay, obviously?'

'Definitely', Liz grinned back at him. 'I've not been to the zoo in forever. And this is a really good one; I know they do tons of conservation work for animals in the wild. And the cages and tanks are all huge and the animals all look well cared for'.

'I had no idea you were such a zoo aficionado, Lizzy?', Ray asked, happy that he'd chosen well.

'Well, I'm not really. I just went to a really horrible zoo once when I was a kid and ever since then, I've made a point of checking up on the reputation of other ones I go to. And this one is excellent. Thank you, Ray. Great choice', she said as she playfully punched him on the arm.

They pulled into the parking lot and found a space not too far from the entrance. After they'd bought tickets and a guide book, Ray handed the book to Liz and asked her what she wanted to go see first.

'Well, we should check if there are any public feedings or shows going on. Look, we can feed the elephants in twenty minutes!', Liz said as she grabbed hold of Ray's hand and started dragging him in the direction of the elephant enclosure. They got there in under a minute and Liz headed straight for the barrier so they'd be at the front. Ray excused himself for a moment and went to buy them a couple of coffees from a nearby stall. When he returned he noticed a tall, thin man standing on his own who appeared to be looking in Liz's direction. However, just after he noticed him, the guy turned and walked away behind a bathroom block. Ray shook his head at himself and carried on towards Liz. Hold it together, sailor, you need to keep reassuring Liz there's nothing to worry about just because of that damn photo.

'Here you go, Lizzy. Cappuccino? That's right, isn't it?'

'Perfect, thank you', Liz said, immediately taking a sip. 'Ooh, that's hot'.

Ray laughed at her, 'Yes, my dear, that's kind of the idea'. This remark earned Ray another punch on the arm from Liz and he winked at her, 'I'm gonna have to invest in some kind of padding, aren't I?'

'Sorry', Liz said, looking up at him a little ruefully. 'I'll try to refrain from beating you up quite so often'.

Ray slipped his free hand around Liz's shoulders and pulled her in close, kissing her temple, 'You can punch me on the arm whenever you like, Lizzy. Just know I'll find some way to make you pay'.

Liz looked up at Ray and saw he had pulled a decidedly lecherous face and was waggling his eyebrows at her. She burst out laughing and had to stop herself from punching him yet again. Just as she was about to make some lewd comment, the elephant keeper started his opening spiel over the speakers and they both turned to watch the elephants being led in and to listen to what he was saying. As he was telling the audience about the elephants they had here at the zoo and about the ones the zoo paid to keep safe in the wild, a second keeper was walking along the barrier where Ray and Liz were standing, handing out some feed. Liz held out her hands and took as much as she could hold and Ray mimicked her. He'd already decided he was going to give his portion to Liz so she could have lots of turns feeding the animals, seeing as she was almost giddy with excitement beside him.

After the keeper had finished his talk, the elephants were slowly led along the barrier, stopping every few feet to let the next group of people feed them. Liz giggled as a huge trunk was lowered towards her and held her hands as steady as she could as the tip of the trunk grasped most of what was in her hand before carrying it to the elephant's mouth. Before she knew what was happening, another trunk came in from the side and finished off what was in her hand, leaving a small puddle of dribble in place of the food. Liz laughed and turned to smile at Ray. He then placed the food he was holding in her hands and when a slightly younger elephant was next up along the line, Liz was once again the first choice for it. By the time all the food was gone, Liz's hands were absolutely covered in the elephants' drool. They turned and walked away from the railing, heading towards the bathroom block. Liz left her purse with Ray and went in, eager to clean up her hands.

As Liz was in the bathroom, Ray spotted the man he'd seen earlier standing just the other side of a hedge. He still seemed to be on his own. He knew he was probably being paranoid but he decided he wasn't going to let Liz out of his sight until they were back in the car. Something about the guy seemed off and, coupled with the photo, Ray was a little on edge, even if he was trying not to show it.

When Liz reappeared Ray smiled at her and handed her back her purse, 'Better?'

'Yes, much. That stuff was gross', Liz said. 'But it was worth every drop of it. Those elephants were beautiful'.

'Yes, they were. Now, what would you like to go see next?'

Liz consulted the guidebook. 'Well, there are no other shows or anything for a bit so let's just have a wander round, shall we?'. She linked her arm through Ray's and they headed off towards the big cat enclosures.

After a couple more hours of looking at the big cats and then the penguins and other water loving animals, they decided it was time to stop for lunch. 'So, Madam, what can I treat you to for your luncheon?'

Liz had another look at the guidebook, 'Ooh, there's a Mexican food café. Do you like tacos?'

'I do indeed. A splendid choice by the lady'

The café turned out to be pretty big and was very full but they found themselves a table right at the back. Ray pulled back Liz's seat for her and then sat opposite. After the waiter had come and taken their order, Ray happened to glance up and he saw the man from earlier come into the restaurant and sit right at the far side. He was still on his own. Ray frowned a little. He decided he would keep a close eye on the guy just to see if he was trying to watch them. Once their food arrived, they both tucked in hungrily and wiped out all their tacos quickly. They both then sat back and groaned.

'Oh, man, that was too much. And I'm not sure I even paused for breath whilst eating', Ray said as he patted his belly.

'Well, if you're worried about the calories, I'm sure we can think of a way to work them off later', Liz said as she made a point of pursing her mouth to suck up her drink through her straw.

Ray's eyes were glued to her lips and he felt something stir in his pants. 'Lizzy, let's please, er, not start that again. Much as Wednesday night was a lot of fun I'm not really sure a zoo full of kids is the place for a repeat'.

Liz winked at him and they stood up to go pay at the counter. Just as they got to it, Ray saw the man get up and walk out the door in a bit of a hurry. It was almost like he was avoiding being walked past by them as they would have come pretty close to his table on the way out. Ray paid their bill and then took hold of Liz's hand, suddenly feeling the urge to keep her very close.

'Right, then, shall we go see the monkeys?'

'Oh my god, yes. They're my absolute favourite. They're such little rascals'.

'I had a feeling you might have an affinity for monkeys, Lizzy. Can't imagine why'.

Liz laughed at Ray and squeezed his hand as they set off towards the far side of the zoo. Once there they spent a lot of time watching the gorillas and chimps playing in their enclosure before they went into a special part where they could actually walk amongst the ring-tailed lemurs. As soon as they got inside, a lemur landed on Ray's shoulder and nearly made him jump out of his skin. Liz couldn't help herself and burst out laughing at the look on his face. However, her glee was short-lived when the lemur jumped from Ray's shoulder to Liz's, making her jump. She stood perfectly still and allowed the small creature to play with her hair. Ray pulled out his phone, eager to take a photograph, but as soon as the phone was in his hand, the lemur jumped back across to his shoulder again.

'He likes you, I think. Although, aren't sailors supposed to have parrots on their shoulders, not monkeys?'

'I think you'll find that's pirates, Lizzy, not all seafaring people', Ray said as he watched the animal a little nervously.

Eventually the lemur spotted a new victim and jumped off Ray's shoulder, back into the branches of a tree and headed off towards a group of people who had just come in.

Ray swept lightly at where the animal had been sitting and Liz rolled her eyes at him, 'Come on, it's no worse than holding a dog or a cat, Ray'.

'I've seen the film 'Outbreak', I know what these things can carry'.

Liz snorted and reached out to take Ray's hand, 'I'm pretty sure these animals are very safe and healthy. Come on, I wanna go see the wolves before we go'.

Once they got to the wolf enclosure, they were delighted to see that there was a litter of wolf cubs there. They only looked about eight weeks old or so and both of them were soon lost in delight watching their antics as they played with each other and ran around on wobbly legs.

'This makes me want to get a dog'

'They're not quite the same, Lizzy'

'I know that, silly', Liz prodded Ray in the ribs, 'But I love dogs and I've always wanted one. Ah, well, maybe one day. Anyway, the zoo's closing soon isn't it? Shall we head back?'

'If you'd like? We can stay another half an hour I think?'

'Nah, it's okay. My feet are killing me, comfy shoes or not. But I've had a fantastic day. I just wish I could've gotten a picture of your face when that lemur was on your shoulder'.

Ray scowled at Liz and took her arm, 'Hmm, perhaps not my bravest hour, I'll warrant. He could have ripped my throat out though. Did you see his teeth?'

Just as they got back to the entrance, Ray realised he really needed to use the bathroom. He told Liz to go into the gift shop and that he'd meet her in there. She headed in, already determined to find a lemur soft toy with which to torment Ray as he went off into the men's.

Just as he got to the urinal and unzipped his fly, he heard footsteps behind him. Before he knew what was happening, someone had hit him hard in his back, right in his kidneys. He gasped and fell to the floor, trying to draw in breath. A foot then connected with his back again and he cried out in pain.

'You stay away from her, you hear me. Or next time I'll break bones'.

Ray managed to open his eyes and look up but the guy had gone. He only got a fleeting glimpse of his back as he ran out the door. He saw enough though to know that it was the guy he'd been trying to keep an eye on all day. After a few minutes, he stood up and tossed some water over his face. With shaking hands, he managed to finished using the bathroom and then made his way outside.

'There you are! You've been gone so long…. Ray, what is it?'

Liz could tell instantly that something was wrong. Ray was as pale as a ghost, drenched in sweat and was bent over to the side, unable to stand up straight.

'Some guy jumped me in there', he managed to gasp out.

'Oh my god, let me get security'

'No, no, Lizzy, don't go anywhere. Stay by my side'.

'Why?'

'Because he knew me. Or, at least, he knew you. He told me to stay away from you'.

Liz gasped and stepped forward to take a hold of Ray's hands, 'Here, sit down for a moment. Have some of my water'.

Ray slumped onto the bench Liz had pointed him towards and grimaced. His kidneys were throbbing terribly. He was pretty sure he'd be pissing blood later. He took a long gulp of Liz's water, his hands still shaking.

Liz sat down right next to him and put her arm around his shoulders, her other hand on his leg.

'Are you gonna be okay? Shall we see if there's a First Aider somewhere?'

'I'll be fine, sweetheart. I've been punched in the kidneys many times in my military training. Although I think this may've been the first time I've been kicked there'.

'Oh, Ray, you poor thing. Let me help you somehow. Shall I drive back?'

'That would be good, yes. Sorry, Lizzy, today's outing wasn't meant to end like this'.

'Why on earth are you apologising? You're the one who was attacked!'

'Yes, but I should've seen it coming. I'd seen the guy a few times today and already thought he was acting suspiciously. I should've been more on my guard'.

'What do you mean? Why didn't you say anything to me?'

'I should've, I'm sorry. I'd almost convinced myself I was just being paranoid after that photo this morning. And I was determined not to worry you and for you to have a good day. I decided just not letting you out of my sight would be enough. I'm sorry though, I should've said something'.

Liz sighed and pulled Ray as close as she could without hurting him, 'It's okay, I understand. My poor boy', she said as she kissed his temple. 'Do you think you'd recognise him if you saw him again? And what did you mean he told you to stay away from me?'

'I'd definitely recognise him again, yes. And that's exactly what he said, to stay away from you or next time he'll break my bones'.

Liz tightened her grip on Ray's leg a little more and rested her head on his shoulder. 'I hope I'm wrong but I've got a horrible feeling who this guy might be. If only because I can't think of another single person who would act like this regarding me. We need to go back to my house so I can show you a photo'.

Ray looked up at Liz questioningly and then realisation washed over his face.

'You think it's Tom, don't you?'

'Yeah, I think it could be. Sucker punching you is just the way he'd operate. Come on, let's get you home and maybe put some ice on your back'.

They made their way back to the car and Ray tenderly got into the passenger seat. Liz took the keys and started the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot, she reached over and took hold of Ray's hand, squeezing it lightly. If Ray had looked up and seen Liz's face at that moment, he'd almost have been worried. She looked furious, her eyes flashing with anger. There was no way Tom was going to get away with it this time.


	12. Chapter 12

Once Ray and Liz got back to Liz's apartment, she parked Ray's car right outside and came round to help him out of the passenger seat. He accepted her proffered hand but didn't really need it, he was already feeling a lot better. They got inside the apartment and Liz went off to fetch an ice pack, leaving Ray on the couch.

When she returned he took it from her and placed it against his back, wincing slightly at its coldness, 'It's okay, Lizzy, don't worry. It's just the cold of the ice pack. I don't think the punch was that bad after all, it just hurt like a bitch at the time'.

Liz couldn't decide if Ray was just trying to be brave or not but she sat down next to him and held his leg tenderly. He smiled at her to reassure her and she tried to smile back but tears were threatening to fall.

'Hey, hey, sweetheart, don't you cry. Even if it is Tom who's done this, you've no reason to cry'

'I hate to see you in pain'

Ray leant over, ignoring the ache in his back, and kissed her. 'I'll be fine. Don't worry. Now go get me a photo of Tom so I can see if it really was him'.

Liz smiled back at Ray unconvincingly and went off to find a picture of her ex-husband. She returned swiftly and showed the picture to Ray.

'Yeah, that's him. One hundred percent.'

Liz sighed and sat back down, 'Dammit. I thought I was rid of that bastard. And now not only is he back but he's hurt you'.

'Well I'd rather he'd hurt me than he'd hurt you again, if I'm honest'.

'Don't say that! I can't bear the thought of you being hurt! Especially not if it's due to my appalling taste in men'.

Ray lifted an eyebrow at her and smiled.

'Yeah, yeah, present company excepted', Liz said, smiling back. 'I'm serious though. He can't get away with this. He has no claim over me. We're divorced. He's signed away any rights to me or to this apartment or to any money. He's just doing this to be malicious'.

'Well, maybe. But until we're sure, I wanna stay here until we can have words with him. Or, better yet, the police can catch him'.

Liz reeled at Ray's statement, 'You wanna stay here?'

'Of course I do. I'm not letting you out of my sight until he's caught'.

'So, you wanna make a police report?'

'Lizzy, he got away with this when he did it to you. And whilst I can handle what's happened to me, I can't handle him coming back for more with you. So, yeah, we're talking to the police'.

Liz leant into Ray's shoulder, careful to keep her weight from pushing onto his back, 'Okay. Shall I call them now?'

'Well, no time like the present, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'll be here when the police are questioning us. You're not on your own this time, okay?'

Liz looked up at Ray and kissed him quickly on his lips, 'Thank you, my brave soldier'.

'Oh, Elizabeth, that hurt worse than the punch. I'm a sailor, not a soldier'.

Liz giggled and stood up to go fetch her phone. Walking over to Ray, she dialled the non-emergency number for the police and sat back down. Once connected she gave the police officer all the details they needed over the phone and then hung up.

'Okay, well, they're gonna send someone over now to take an official report'.

'That was quick', Ray said, slightly surprised.

'Yeah, I guess there's not much serious crime in this town. An assault like this is pretty much as bad as it gets', Liz said as she snuggled back up to Ray on the couch, allowing him to hold her and kiss her hair. She sighed, hoping to keep the sound of it under her breath, but Ray heard.

'Are you worried about talking about when he beat you?'

'Yeah. I've never told anyone before. I just hid away afterwards. I mean, my dad knew but I convinced him I didn't wanna do anything about it. I just wanted Tom gone and to try to forget him. Last thing I wanted to do was have to press charges and see him in court or whatever. Thankfully dad understood in the end. And as Tom had already left town, he decided to let it drop'.

'I wonder why he's come back. It's odd that he'd turn up just as we've gotten together'.

'Yeah, I know. It's like he found out about us but I have no idea how. And it's not like he really cares about what I'm doing. I'd have heard from him before now if that were the case'.

Ray lifted Liz's chin up and kissed her gently, 'Don't worry, Lizzy, we'll get to the bottom of this. And hopefully the police will want to arrest him. Either way, until he's no longer a threat, I'm gonna make sure you're safe'.

Liz smiled up at Ray and reached up to stroke his cheek and sideburn, 'I know you will. Thank you'.

'No thanks necessary. This is personal for me too now, remember. And there's no way in hell I'm gonna let that bastard hurt you again'.

Liz settled her head back on Ray's shoulder and they sat there, just holding each other, waiting for the police to arrive.

Half an hour later the doorbell sounded and Liz jumped up to go answer it. Ray started to stand too but Liz held him down by his shoulder, 'Don't you dare, you need to rest. I can get the door'.

'Okay, okay. Just make sure you use the peephole before you open it?'

'I will, don't worry', Liz said as she exited her apartment and went down to the front door. She peeked through the small glass fish eye and saw two police officers standing on the doorstep. Quickly, she opened the door and beckoned them in, showing them up to her apartment.

Once inside, she led them over to Ray and made introductions before asking them if they'd like a drink. Both officers requested coffee and she went into the kitchen to prepare some for them.

'Thanks for coming so quickly, officers, it's very much appreciated', Ray said as he sat back down, having stood up to shake their hands.

'Not a problem at all, Mr Reddington. It's a pleasure to be of assistance to a hero like you. We were both at the Memorial Day event, saw you up there in your glad rags'.

'Ha, yeah, of course. I forgot half the town knows who I am now', Ray said, feeling a bit embarrassed all of a sudden. What kind of US Navy hero gets sucker punched in a bathroom?

'Not to mention your dad's restaurant makes the best damn pizzas this side of Chicago', the other cop chimed in.

'Well, thank you for that. My dad's recipes are wonderful. I'm just happy to be able to keep the tradition going'.

'Yeah, we heard Nick passed away. Real sad. He was a wonderful guy, real salt of the earth'.

'Thank you', Ray said as he smiled ruefully.

By now Liz had reentered the room and started to pour some coffee for them all. Having done that, she sat back down and reached out to hold Ray's hand, anticipating that the questioning was about to begin.

Half an hour later and they were done with all the questions. The police took the photo and envelope that had been delivered that morning with the hope of retrieving some fingerprints from it. They also took Ray's and Liz's fingerprints on their mobile fingerprint device in order to be able to eliminate them from any other ones on the papers. One last thing they wanted to do was take photos of any bruises Ray might have from today's assault so Ray took off his shirt and turned his back to them. As he did so, Liz gasped and tears immediately formed in her eyes. He had two huge black and blue patches on his back. The second that one of the officers had finished photographing them, she walked up to Ray and gingerly wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. She didn't care that the cops were still there, she just needed to hold Ray, having seen how bad his injuries were.

The cops then said their goodbyes and promised to be in touch with any developments as soon as they might arise. As soon as they were out of the door, Liz burst into tears and after a few minutes of crying whilst clinging onto Ray around his neck, he realised she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He sat back down on the couch and pulled her down with him, placing her on his lap. He still had his shirt off and she was soaking his bare chest, the tears running down and matting his chest hair.

'Shhhh, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm gonna be just fine. Please don't cry'. Ray kept trying to calm Liz but eventually he just held her and let her cry it all out. After a few more minutes, she started to get herself back together. She looked up at him and tried to smile. He smiled back at once and kissed the tip of her nose before gently wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

'I'm sorry, Ray. I didn't mean to have a meltdown there. I don't really know what I was expecting to see but half your back is bruised. It looks so bad. You must be in so much pain'

'Lizzy, I promise it looks worse than it is. It did hurt at the time but I'm okay now. Honestly, it's just kind of a dull ache now'.

Liz leant forward and kissed him softly, 'Well, you tell me if there's anything I can do'.

'There is actually'

'Anything'

'I'm famished. Got any food?'

Liz laughed and had to resist the urge to punch Ray on the arm, 'I might've known. Okay, I'll go rustle us up something. Don't you move'.

Liz found some cold cuts in the fridge and made them each a sandwich with some salad on the side. They sat and ate in near silence, each thinking over what the police had said to them earlier. They'd said that whilst they would take into consideration Liz's story about being beaten by Tom years ago, there was nothing they could do about that now unless he confessed. And they were going to see if they could find any CCTV footage from the zoo to prove that Tom had been there and to check if he might've bought his ticket with a credit card. However, even with those enquiries proving successful, they would still need a confession from Tom in all likelihood as there were no witnesses to the actual assault. A more hopeful line of enquiry was his fingerprints on the photo and envelope but even if there were that'd wouldn't necessarily tie him to the assault. However, it would be enough to bring him in for questioning.

Once they'd finished eating, Ray suggested they watch a movie together and so Liz went to peruse her DVD collection.

'Okay, we have romance film, comedy or action?'

Ray pondered for a moment, 'Well, normally I'd say comedy but I'm not sure my ribs are up to laughing too much right now. Romance is a bit…..'

'Chick flick?'

'You said it, not me', Ray replied with a wink.

'So action it is'.

'Whaddya got?'

'The Hunt for Red October'

'Are you kidding me?'

'No', Liz replied with a slight giggle.

'Good, cos I love that movie', Ray smiled. 'I always thought I was a bit like Jack Ryan'.

'Oh, you're far more handsome than Alec Baldwin. Or Harrison Ford'.

'Right answer, sweetheart'.

Liz slipped the disc into the machine and they cuddled up together to watch it. The whole way through they were stroking each other and turning to kiss any part of the other they could reach. By the end of the film, both of them were half-asleep and so they got up and headed to the bedroom.

'I'm not going to go into work tomorrow, Lizzy. I'll get my deputy manager to look after the place and have someone bring some paperwork over here so I can at least be productive'.

'Not just because you don't want to leave me alone, I hope? You're going to have to go back to work sometime'.

'I will. But I wouldn't be able to concentrate at work anyway, knowing you were here all alone. And besides, my back will probably be pretty stiff tomorrow. I don't fancy doing anything that involves standing up for too long. So paperwork works just fine. And that can be done anywhere'.

'Okay. Good, I'm glad you're going to look after yourself'.

'And you'

'And me', Liz said as she approached him at the foot of the bed. 'Now how's about you let me take care of you now?'

Ray looked at her quizzically before realising that she'd started to work on his belt buckle, 'Oh, Lizzy, I don't think I'd be much good to you at the moment'.

'That's okay. What I have planned shouldn't involve you moving much at all', Liz said as she sank to her knees in front of him. Ray gasped as he felt her hands gently cup his balls and then gritted his teeth as Liz took hold of his length and slowly started to stroke him up and down, encouraging him to get hard. It took no time at all and as soon as he was erect she kissed his tip.

Ray groaned and threaded his fingers through her hair, desperately trying not to buck into her. Liz then removed her hands and mouth and stood back up, quickly stripping off her clothes as she did so. She then helped Ray out of the rest of his clothing and encouraged him to lie down comfortably on the bed, using a pillow to prop under his back to help with his aches.

Then she slowly crawled back up his body and with one last smile at his face, she ducked her head back down and started working her mouth up and down his shaft, fondling his balls with one hand and holding his hand with the other. Their fingers interlaced and Ray grasped her hand as hard as he dared, pushing his head back into the pillow and starting to breathe ever quicker.

Liz continued sucking him, occasionally stopping to just run her tongue up and down his length and kiss his balls. Ray was in absolute heaven, although not being able to move was killing him. He wanted nothing more than to flip Liz over and bury himself inside her. But he knew that she wanted to do this for him and he suspected his back wouldn't appreciate such movement right now.

As Ray got closer and closer to his climax, Liz increased the tempo, now moving her head up and down as fast as she could, sucking him and running her tongue over his slit every time she came back to the top. Suddenly Ray's hips bucked, just once, and Liz's mouth was full of him, his seed squirting out in hot, fast spurts. He grunted and then sank back into the bed. Liz swallowed him all down and then wriggled back up the bed to kiss him and hold him tight.

Once Ray got his breath back, he turned to her and looked at her in wonder.

'Thank you, sweetheart'

Liz smiled at him, 'No need to thank me, I enjoyed it', she said with a smile. 'And I think it was the least I could do for you after today'.

'What on earth did I do to deserve you, Lizzy?'

Liz snuggled in closer and they cuddled up, ready to fall asleep together, 'I don't have an answer for that right now. But I'm so glad we found each other'.

Ray kissed the top of her head and left his lips lingering there as they slowly dropped off.


	13. Chapter 13

Ray blinked his eyes open the next morning, slowly coming to realise he'd been awoken by Liz kissing his cheek and stroking his chest. He turned his head to the side and looked her in the eyes.

'Good morning, beautiful'

'Good morning, handsome', Liz replied, grinning at him. 'You slept like the dead. And you snored like a zombie'.

Ray snorted before reaching over to pinch Liz's nose. 'Well, isn't that good to know, my dear. Do zombies snore, however?'

'Probably not. But if they did, it would sound like you'.

Ray smiled at Liz, too amused by her cheekiness to be embarrassed. He turned to kiss her but had to stop at once, pain making him grimace.

'Ray, are you okay?'

'Yeah', he managed to gasp out. 'I've just stiffened up. My back's not feeling too flexible right now'.

Liz sat up and bent over him to look at his bruises. They were even more widespread than when she'd seen them last night. Sighing to herself, she ducked down and kissed him carefully right in the middle of his back and then sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

'You stay right there, I'm gonna go draw you a hot bath and find some kind of oils to help with muscle relaxation'.

'Thank you, sweetheart. Er, does that mean I'm gonna smell a tad more feminine than usual today?', Ray asked, raising his eyebrow playfully.

Liz just rolled her eyes and headed towards the bathroom door, 'It may well mean that, yes. Better than smelling like a zombie though'.

Ray picked up a pillow, intending to throw it after Liz before realising he couldn't do that without hurting his back further. 'Yeah, I really need to change my cologne it would appear' he called after her, grimacing as he lay back down gingerly.

Five minutes later, Liz reappeared and came to Ray's side of the bed. She reached her hands out and he allowed himself to be helped to stand up.

'Thank you', he said, smiling sheepishly. 'I'm sure this bath will help enormously. At least I hope so otherwise I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to do anything but lie on my back all day'.

'Oh, that would be terrible. I'm sure we'd both be bored silly if you were bed bound'.

'In different circumstances, maybe not, but bed bound and unable to move much may not be quite as entertaining'.

Liz led him into the bathroom by his hand and helped him into the tub. Once in he lay his head back and rested it on the bath pillow Liz had placed there. Ray immediately sighed in sheer bliss.

'Oh, this is heavenly. I can already feel it helping. And I'm gonna smell so damn good after'.

'That's more like it, mister tough guy. There's nothing too girly about lavender and whatever the hell else is in this oil', Liz said, smirking at the boyish look on Ray's face as he sank further into the water.

'Okay, I'm gonna go brew some coffee. Just yell if you need me'.

'Oh, before you go, could you get me my phone? I just wanna call the restaurant and get someone to bring me my paperwork over'.

'Will do', Liz called over her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen.

Amber Gordon woke up before Tom and got up without waking him. Despite the fact she'd only called Tom in order to enlist his help in breaking up Ray and Liz because she had her own sights set on nabbing Ray, she'd slept with Tom last night anyway. They'd briefly been an item before he'd gotten together with Liz and so when the champagne cork had popped last night in celebration of what they both thought had been a successful day, they'd easily fallen back into bed together. This morning, however, Amber wasn't feeling too great about it. She'd remembered now why she and Tom hadn't lasted long. The man was a terrible lover and completely selfish in bed. He had a fit body and great abs but now she was a bit older and wiser, such things really didn't seem so important anymore. Staring into the mirror in the bathroom, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Was this even gonna work? She'd called Tom on a whim when she'd seen Ray get together with Liz, unsure if there was anything he could provide that would help split them up. But she hadn't really thought there would be anything. However, Tom had jumped at the opportunity to come and make his ex-wife's life hell. His motivation remained unclear to her. And he was a lot scarier than she remembered.

'Babe'

'Yeah?'

'Could you make me some coffee?'

Amber sighed and rolled her eyes, reminding herself this was only temporary, 'Yeah, I'll get right on that'.

Ten minutes later, she returned to the bedroom and gave Tom his coffee.

'So, what's the plan for today?'

'Well, I'm gonna have to keep a lower profile now I guess. Ray will be looking out for me. Plus I'm sure he'd have gone to the cops like the little bitch he is. However, I think I've got just the thing to up the ante here', he said, smiling cruelly at Amber.

'What's that?'

'Oh, just some photos I have of Liz from our honeymoon. And a recording we made. The kinda thing I'm pretty sure would devastate her were it to make its way into general knowledge round here'.

Amber looked at Tom, unable to refrain from asking him any longer, 'Okay…. So you're gonna blackmail her? What, for money? How does that help me get Ray?'

'I don't know what you see in that guy anyway, he's an ass. But yeah, this'll help. I'm gonna tell her I'll be decorating the town with the pictures and putting the recording on Facebook or whatever, sending it to everyone she knows, unless she breaks up with that phoney and gives me fifty grand'.

'Will she?'

'She's a coward so yeah, I bet she will'.

'Is that all you want from this? Revenge and some money?'

'Are you kidding me? That bitch ruined my life! Divorcing me, leaving me with nothing. The apartment was hers before we married so I didn't even get a say in that. I've been broke as shit since she threw me out. This is the perfect opportunity for me to get what I'm owed. And to make her miserable for once in her perfect little life'.

Amber smiled at Tom although she felt a bit nervous. This wasn't really going the way she'd hoped. However, if she left the dirty work to him from now on, maybe she could still benefit from his craziness without having to get her own hands mucky.

Four hours later and Ray had had enough of paperwork for now. He promised himself he'd do a couple more hours later. Glancing over at Liz, who was sitting on the couch, staring intently at her iPad, he scrunched up a piece of paper and gently lobbed it at her. His aim was perfect and it landed right on her head, making her jump.

'Ray!', she shouted in shock, looking up at him reproachfully. However, he just laughed and winked back. 'That's for the zombie comments, my dear'.

Liz got up from the couch and walked right up next to him, hands on hips. 'It's lucky you're so bruised and battered right now that I can't do what I wanna do to you'.

Ray reached out and grabbed hold of Liz's arms, pulling her onto his lap. 'Oh, and what would that be, sweet girl?'

She laughed and cupped his cheeks, kissing him firmly before pulling away.

'I see your back's a little better then?'

'It is, yeah. That bath worked a treat. It's still sore but the stiffness has gone. In fact I was gonna suggest maybe we went out for lunch?'

A shadow fell over Liz's face and she looked away from Ray's gaze.

'What's wrong? Are you worried about going out in case we see Tom?'

Liz nodded, unable to bring herself to say the words.

'It'll be okay, Lizzy. We just need to get in the car, drive to some nice busy restaurant and have lunch. We'll come straight back. And we'll be together every second we're out. Even if we have to go to the bathroom together'.

Liz narrowed her eyes at Ray and frowned, 'Yeah, not so sure I want you to be arrested for being caught in a ladies' bathroom'.

'Okay, well you come into the men's…..'

Liz laughed at him and stood up, 'Okay, you're right. We can't hide away here all day. And I'm gonna need to go to work tomorrow so I'd better get used to going outside like a normal person'.

'Tell you what, why don't we go to my restaurant? Lots of friends there. And there's no way Tom would show his face there anyway'.

Liz's face lit up, 'Great plan! And it's been way too long since I had my favourite pizza anyway'.

The two of them quickly got ready to go out and within minutes they were in the car heading into town, both feeling a lot happier than they had all day.

As soon as their car turned the corner, Tom stood up from where he'd been crouched in the bushes on the other side of the street, straightening his back and stretching as he did so. He'd been in there for over two hours and had started to think they weren't going to be going anywhere today. He cursed them for the stiffness in his knees and made his way over to the apartment block's front door. Ringing on a few of the doorbells there, he smiled to himself when someone bought his story about being the brother of one of the residents who'd forgotten his key and swung open the door, heading straight on up the stairs.

Ray and Liz seated themselves at a table at the back of the restaurant, right next to the kitchen door. They sat together on one of the padded bench seats and chatted happily, both eager to forget their current troubles and just enjoy having a meal together. Liz ordered her favourite pizza and Ray some pasta he'd recently added to the menu, wanting Liz to try it so she could give him her thoughts. Although both of them felt like having a drink, neither of them did as they didn't want to let their guard down whilst they were out. Instead, they decided they'd take a couple of bottles back to the apartment with them for later.

After a delicious meal, Ray thanked his deputy manager and took the bag from him that contained their dinner for tonight, along with the wine. He then made to stand up, sighing loudly as he did so.

'Are you okay? Is your back hurting again?'

'No, no, I just ate too much', Ray said, groaning slightly.

Liz snorted and poked him in his belly. 'Yeah, you did put away quite a lot there I noticed'.

Ray smiled ruefully and straightened up. 'I can't help it. When it comes to pasta, I'm like a Labrador confronted with endless cuts of beef'.

Liz laughed at the image and took the bag from him, 'Let me carry this. You shouldn't put any more strain on your back. Especially not with that huge lunch to carry now too'.

Ray slapped Liz on her ass as she turned away from him and she turned back and stuck her tongue out at him, leading the way to the door.

Once they got back to her address, they parked up and headed up the stairs. Liz headed straight into the bathroom, leaving Ray to put their dinner and the wine in the fridge. After he had done that, he turned back to the lounge area and saw a piece of paper had been stuck to the TV. He frowned and headed over there. It simply said 'Press play'.

'Lizzy, are you okay?', he called out loudly.

'Yeah, I'll just be a moment….'

He turned the TV on and hit play on the DVD player. Immediately the screen was filled with an image of Liz having sex with another guy. A guy Ray instantly recognised as Tom. As he was watching Tom take Liz doggy style, Tom turned to the camera and grinned in a filthy way, whilst pounding himself into Liz. Ray heard the bathroom door open and reached out to hit stop on the player but it was too late.

'What was that?'

Ray allowed Liz to draw level with him before answering. 'Tom's been in here. And he left this in your DVD player'.

'What is it?', Liz asked, her voice trembling slightly.

'Nothing you need to see, sweetheart', Ray said, attempting to steer Liz away from the TV.

'I need to know, Ray. No matter what it is'.

Ray sighed and knew this was not a battle he would win. He stood by her side as she turned the disc back on and took a hold of her shoulders, pulling her towards him, offering his silent support.

Liz gasped when she saw what was on there and after only a few seconds she reached out and turned the TV off, absolutely mortified.

'That…. That was our honeymoon. I had no idea he took a recording of us. Oh, God….'. She was shaking now and Ray wrapped her in his arms, pulling her in tight. 'You must be disgusted with me', Liz managed to squeeze out through her constricted throat, trying desperately not to cry again.

'Not in the slightest. I'm reserving my disgust for that piece of shit'. Ray was close to losing all self-control but he held it together so that he could be strong for Liz.

Looking down at her, he took her hand and led her towards the bedroom, intending to just lay down with her in her bed and hold her tight in its safe warmth. However, when they got there and he opened the door, they both looked up and saw something equally as bad as the DVD recording. Every wall of the room was covered in pictures of Liz naked and fully exposed. Some of the pictures featuring Tom, some not. In a lot of the pictures, Tom was pulling faces at the camera which Liz couldn't have seen. He'd clearly taken many of them when Liz hadn't even been aware of it.

They both stood still in utter shock, neither quite knowing what to do or say next.

'Why…..? Why is he doing this?'

Ray just held Liz closer, unable to think of an answer.

'I know he took some pictures on our honeymoon but I never wanted to see them. I just thought it was him wanting to capture the moment because he was so happy. I didn't think they'd be like this…..'

Liz's voice trailed off and she felt her knees buckle. Ray caught her at once but his back couldn't hold them both up and they slumped together to the floor.

Ray pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialled the number of one of the police officers from yesterday. Liz caught onto what he was doing and reached out to still his hand.

'Please Ray, no. Please? I can't have anyone seeing these. Or the DVD. Please…..'

Ray ended the call and nodded silently to her. He would try to persuade her later but he realised she'd had enough for now. He pulled her into his arms and they sat there together, just holding each other. Neither could think of a single thing to say so they just gently rocked back and forth, offering each other their love and support.

Tom waltzed back into Amber's house, a shit-eating grin on his face. Amber glanced up from the kitchen table and was almost nervous about asking what he'd done. However, he was so eager to tell her that she didn't need to.

'Worked a treat. Right now Ray is probably packing his bags and getting ready to dump that whore's ass so fast', he laughed to himself as he helped himself to a beer from Amber's fridge.

'You really think this is gonna work?'

'Hell yeah. Why would he wanna stay with a slut like her when he sees how easy she is. Man, I was laughing so hard when I put some of those pictures up in her bedroom. There's one where she's got my dick in her mouth and she's…'

Amber tuned out. She really didn't want to hear the details. Although she was desperate for Ray and Liz to split up so she could nab her man, this whole thing was starting to give her a very uneasy feeling.

After sitting together in the doorway for twenty minutes, Ray eventually managed to convince Liz to get up and come with him to the lounge. He led her to the sofa and they sat down together, both still clinging to each other.

'I'm so ashamed'

Ray reached over with both hands and framed Liz's face, 'Don't you dare say that. You've done nothing wrong. You were on your honeymoon, you were just fooling around like any newlyweds would. He's the one who's done something shameful. Not you, Lizzy, never you'.

As he finished speaking he leant in and kissed her deeply and lovingly, holding her as close as he could. He pulled back then, looking into her eyes the whole time and smiling at her. Just as he turned his head forwards again, he spotted an envelope on the table he'd not noticed before. Leaving Liz's side for just a moment he went to the kitchen and grabbed her washing up gloves before picking up the envelope and opening it. Inside was a typed page of A4. Frowning, he read it: 'Fifty grand or the whole town gets to see what a filthy slut Liz is'.

Ray had to resist the urge to screw the note up but he couldn't suppress his rage any longer. He had to do something and right now. Turning back to Liz, he smiled at her as gently as he could as vengeful thoughts started to form in his mind.


	14. Chapter 14

Ray sat back down next to Liz on the couch and reached out to hold her hand. Her eyes were downcast and her expression didn't change even as he made contact.

'Sweetheart, you know what this means, right?'

Liz didn't say a word but she slowly nodded and tears started falling down her cheeks again.

'We can't let this go on. He's been in here. He's blackmailing us…'

'He's blackmailing me, Ray'

Ray reached over and took a hold of Liz's chin, gently forcing her to look at him, 'He's blackmailing us'.

Liz smiled a little and took a hold of Ray's hand, which was still on her face.

'Which means we're going to have to go to the police, we have no choice. I can't imagine how hard this is going to be for you, for other people to see all this, I really can't. And if I could trade places I would, in a heartbeat. But the police need to see it. This is the best proof yet that it's Tom that's behind all this. And now we have an extortion letter too. You see that, don't you?'

As Ray finished speaking he leant forward and kissed Liz tenderly on her temple, reaching his hand up into her hair and holding her head close against his lips. After a few moments, Liz found her voice and spoke up, 'Yeah, I get it. Let's do this. I mean, if he follows through on his threat, the whole town's going to see these pictures soon anyway. My career would be over. I'd need to move…..'

'That's not going to happen, Lizzy. We're going to stop this asshole. Okay, I'm going to go make a few phone calls. You be alright here for a little while? I'll just be out on the front path'.

Liz nodded slowly and Ray kissed her once more on the temple before standing up and heading out of the flat. Once outside he turned and hit the brick wall by the front door as hard as he could, three times. The pain didn't register at all. He was fuming. What he wouldn't give for five minutes alone with Tom, he thought to himself as he pulled out his phone and dialled the detective's number, blowing on his quickly swelling knuckles as he did so.

Tom was still in an exuberant mood that afternoon as he bounced around the house gleefully. He just couldn't stop smiling and Amber was becoming increasingly concerned that maybe he was a little unhinged. Eventually he came and sat down next to her at the kitchen table, a bottle of beer in his hand.

'So, it's all set for tomorrow morning, yeah? Ten o'clock?'

'Yeah', Amber managed, wondering what on earth she'd made herself a party to.

'And what was the name again? Jacob Phelps?'

'That's right'

'Okay, cool. Man, I can't wait. This is gonna be the best'.

As Tom finished speaking he reached over and took a hold of Amber's hand 'Come on babe, let's go upstairs and celebrate in style'.

Amber let herself be led up to her bedroom. She had absolutely no desire to sleep with Tom again but she just kept telling herself that it'd all be over soon and he'd be gone. She just needed to get through the next couple of days.

As Ray came back into the apartment, he saw that Liz hadn't moved at all and he went back over to sit next to her on the couch.

'Okay, sweetheart, all sorted. The detectives will be here in a couple of hours. Is there anything you'd like to do in the meantime?'

Liz shook her head and stared at her hands, which were grasping each other tightly in her lap. Ray sighed softly and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could. 'That's okay, we can just sit here. Just you and me, safe and sound'.

Liz allowed herself to be held and slowly started to feel herself relax. Within ten minutes she was fast asleep, her nose buried in Ray's neck, his fingers stroking her arms with the gentlest of touches. He smiled to himself as he heard her breathing change and he rested his head on top of hers and allowed himself to slowly drift off too.

As promised, within two hours, the front door buzzer sounded and Ray and Liz both woke with a start. Liz's heart started racing instantly and Ray soothed her, kissing her cheek and whispering in her ear, 'It's okay, sweetie, it'll just be the police. Tom wouldn't ring. I'll go let them in'.

He left her on the couch and stood up, heading downstairs to let the officers in. When the three of them came back into the apartment, Ray glanced at Liz and noted that she looked like a rabbit in the headlights. What she was about to have to go through made his blood boil and he felt a flash of anger pulse through him again. Gathering himself, he went straight to her side and sat down, putting his arm around her and pulling her in close.

'Good afternoon, Miss. I'm sorry that we've had to come back again. Mr Reddington here says you've had some further trouble?'

Liz nodded at them, furiously blinking in an attempt not to cry again. Ray decided he'd be just as able to tell the detectives what they needed to know as she would and so he kissed the back of her hand once and then stood to show them the bedroom.

Liz sat on the couch, numb. She couldn't bear to think what the police officers would think of her once they'd seen all those horrible pictures. She just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. After a few minutes, Ray and one of the officers came back into the lounge and Ray led him to the DVD player. The officer extracted the disc and set about dusting the player itself, the TV and the two remote controls for prints. Meanwhile the officer in the bedroom was taking photographs of all the pictures on the walls before placing them in exhibit bags.

As the officers went about their business, Ray returned to Liz on the couch and gathered her up once again. She was beyond crying now and so just sat there, clinging to him with her eyes screwed tightly shut. After less than an hour, they were all done. Ray pointed out the extortion letter on the coffee table and they bagged that too, along with the envelope.

'Okay, folks, I think that's all we're going to need. We'll get all this back to the station right now and start getting it processed. We'll be in touch as soon as possible'.

'Thank you officers', Ray said as he got up to show them out of the apartment.

Just as the second detective was about to leave the apartment, he turned back towards Liz and looked at her, 'And don't you worry, Ma'am. We're gonna catch this sicko. He's not gonna get away with this'.

Liz looked up at last and managed a smile. Despite the fact she knew what the man had just seen in her bedroom, she saw in his eyes true sympathy and determination, not a hint of judgement. She smiled wider and nodded her thanks to him.

Ray walked them both back downstairs and bade them farewell. Standing for just a few extra seconds on the doorstep, he ran his hand back and forth through his shorn hair and took some deep breaths of fresh air. Eventually he turned and went back upstairs to Liz, wondering just how he was going to keep her occupied for the next couple of hours.

When he got back inside he found he needn't have worried about distracting Liz. She had the vacuum cleaner out and was working it furiously around the lounge. He knew she was just trying to make the place clean and feel like hers again, desperately attempting to get rid of the lingering atmosphere of invasion that had pervaded since Tom's intrusion. As she continued with the vacuum, he found some rags under the sink and set about cleaning down all the work surfaces in the kitchen before moving into the lounge and cleaning and dusting in there too. As Liz disappeared into the bathroom to carry on with her purge, Ray headed into the bedroom to see what needed to be done but found it looked fine. He glanced at his watch and realised he had less than half an hour to get Liz out of the main space of the apartment so that he could receive the visitor he was expecting.

'Hey sweetheart, the bathroom surfaces look good enough to eat our dinner off', he said as he wandered in there.

Liz looked up at him and smiled weakly. She looked exhausted, he noted unhappily.

'Why don't you take one of those relaxing baths that you indulged me in earlier and I'll finish off the little bit of paperwork I still have to do?'

Liz looked at the bath and seemed unable to make a decision so Ray stepped forward and made one for her. He turned the taps on and poured some creams and potions in with the running water. Soon, the room started to get wonderfully warm and steamy and the smell appeared to be helping Liz to relax. He turned to her and reached for the buttons on her blouse, intending to undress her. However, Liz stopped his hands and smiled at him ruefully, 'Maybe not right now, Ray. I'm feeling kind of exposed at the moment'.

Ray smiled back and leant in to kiss her on the cheek. His heart was breaking for her and the idea that him undressing her and bathing her made her uncomfortable was a true kick in the gut for him. However, he understood completely and so left her to get herself ready for her bath. He disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a glass of red wine. Knocking on the door, he waited for her to reply before coming in. She was in the bath and her face already looked a little less tense. He knelt down next to her on the floor and placed the glass on the far side of the tub.

'Sorry, Ray'.

'For what?'

'Shutting you out just now'

'Oh, Lizzy. Don't apologise. I entirely understand. Absolutely no reason to be sorry. Just you relax in here. I'll just be next door. I won't leave. You're completely safe, okay?'

Liz reached out and grasped Ray's hand and he stood to leave, bending down quickly to give her a loving kiss on her forehead. He then turned and shut the door behind him, heading back towards the lounge to check his phone.

Within five minutes, his phone beeped with a text message and he quietly eased himself out of the apartment and down the stairs to the front door. Once there, he met with the man he'd called to arrange to come over earlier, when he'd been outside introducing his knuckles to the brickwork. Taking a package from him, he handed over some money and then tiptoed back up to Liz's apartment. As he came back in, he listened carefully at the bathroom door and heard nothing and so headed on into the bedroom to carry on with his plan.

Once he'd finished in there, he returned to the lounge and sat down to try to concentrate on some paperwork whilst Liz continued to soak. Just as he was starting to worry that she might've fallen asleep in there, he heard the bath start to drain and he quickly moved to the bedroom to finish off what he'd started earlier. He then exited the room and went back to the lounge, sitting down and pretending to look busy.

Liz emerged from the bathroom and, wrapped in just a towel, poked her head into the lounge. Ray glanced up and smiled at her. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed and she looked much better.

'Hey beautiful'

She smiled at him, her first genuine smile for some time, 'Hey yourself. Get much work done?'

'A little. Can't really concentrate', he said as he sighed.

'Yeah, I'll bet. Well, I'm just going to get dressed. You have any plans for this evening?'

'Nothing really. Whatever you want to do is fine by me', Ray said as he took off his reading glasses and made a show of stretching his back. Halfway through, he laughed to himself as he realised he really had had to stretch his back as it had started to stiffen up again. Liz looked at him curiously and he winked at her, 'I forgot about my back'. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bedroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Ray stood and headed after her quietly.

Liz opened the door and gasped loudly. Her bedroom had been transformed from one of personal horror with all Tom's pictures, to one that brought happy tears to her eyes. There were rose petals everywhere; all over the floor, the sideboards, the bed. And tens of candles lit and blazing away, giving the room a wonderfully warm and cosy glow. She turned to head back to Ray and found him standing in the doorway, beaming widely at her.

'Ray…..', she managed before she threw herself into his arms and allowed herself to be held, her wet hair starting to soak through his shirt instantly.

'I thought I'd try to make this room a safe haven for you again. Well, for us. I hope it's okay?'

Liz pulled her head back and looked up into Ray's eyes, smiling joyously as she wept, 'It's more than okay. Thank you'. She reached her hands up and took a hold of Ray's head, pulling him down for a searing kiss. As her hands left her towel, it slipped off and lay now at her feet but she barely noticed. Eventually they pulled apart and rested their foreheads together.

Ray held her tightly in his arms, not wanting her to feel too exposed in front of him. He stroked her back and kissed her neck, murmuring in her ear how much he loved her and how he was going to look after her, no matter what. After a few minutes Liz started to walk backwards towards the bed, holding Ray's hand and pulling him with her. She sat down and he sat right next to her. She felt no shame now at being naked and reached out to stroke Ray's sideburns, her eyes glowing with the love she felt for this man.

'You asked me earlier what you'd done to deserve me?'

Ray smiled at her, awaiting her next words.

'I think you have your answer now, you silly, sweet man', Liz said and smiled at him, continuing to stroke his cheeks.

Ray turned and kissed her fingertips, 'Just you wait right here, my angel. I'll be back in a jiffy'. He headed back to the kitchen and then reappeared in record time, carrying a box.

'I thought maybe we could dine in bed, if you'd like?'

Liz grinned and shuffled back across the sheets, the petals sticking to her wet skin.

'Sounds great. However, I do feel you're a little overdressed for the occasion…'

Ray put the box down and swiftly disrobed down to his boxers before joining her on the bed. He then opened the box and started to feed her some of the delicious treats he had put together earlier. There were a few savoury snacks from the restaurant and then a gluttonous amount of chocolate coated fruit. One by one he popped them into Liz's mouth, kissing her in between mouthfuls.

After they had finished eating they both lay, completely sated, on top of the bedsheets.

Liz turned to Ray and moved closer, resting her head on his chest and holding him tightly to her, 'Thank you. I already feel a million times better'. She then looked up and caught his gaze, 'I love you, Raymond Reddington, I hope you know that?'

He smiled and leant down to kiss her, 'And I love you, my beautiful girl. So very much'.

Liz looked up at him and then down at the bed, 'Shall we leave the petals on here? That feels wonderfully decadent, doesn't it?'

Ray laughed and nodded, 'Absolutely. And we can leave the candles burning too, I made sure they were in safe positions on fireproof surfaces'.

Liz laughed and poked him in the ribs, 'There's my lovable nerd again', she said as he pretended to frown at her.

Ray reached down and pulled up a sheet to cover them both. Settling Liz on his chest again, he held her close and stroked over her arms. She, in turn, stroked his chest and belly and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep. Ray had made her feel safe. He had made her feel that she was worth fighting for. And she knew now that there was no way Tom was going to win this battle.


	15. Chapter 15

At some point in the night Ray must've pulled more blankets over them both because when Liz woke up the next morning, despite being naked, she'd never felt more cosy. Ray was spooning her from behind, his breathing tickling her ear, his arms wrapped around her torso. The blankets were over them both, cocooning them from the world and from the reality of whatever fresh threats they had to worry about today.

Liz turned in Ray's embrace and snaked her own arms around him, snuggling her nose into his neck. Her movements caused him to awaken too and she could feel him smile against her forehead.

'Good morning, sweetheart', Ray rasped out in his grumbling morning voice.

'Good morning, mister'

'How are you feeling today?'

Liz stretched out her arms and legs and sighed softly, 'Better I guess. But I really don't want to go to work'.

Ray stroked her hair and kissed her gently on her temple, 'I know, I understand. But I'll walk you there and once you're inside you've got a security lock on your inner door, haven't you?'

'Yeah… It's not just that though. I'm just not sure I'm fit to see patients right now. I'm so stuck inside my own head with all that's happening that I don't know how much use I'd be to anyone else'.

Ray pulled Liz close to his chest, his brow furrowed with concern. Stroking her back, he nuzzled his nose into her hair and kissed her just behind her ear.

'Well, even therapists are allowed a day off. Why don't you call your patients for today and let them know? Just say you're sick. It happens to everyone, sweetheart, and I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable doing right now'.

Liz pulled back and looked up at Ray, who was smiling down at her, 'Yeah, you're right. I'll cancel today's patients. Maybe even tomorrow's too. But I do still need to go into the office as all their contact details are there. And I need to do it right now if I'm gonna be able to reach my first patient in time'.

Ray sat up, pulling Liz up with him, 'Okay, no need for a shower, you get dressed and I'll quickly make us up a couple of coffees to go. See you by the front door in five'.

'Er, Ray, you forgetting something…?' But by the time Liz's words had left her mouth, Ray had already pulled on his pants and his t-shirt and was working on his socks.

'Hmm?'

'Oh, nothing', Liz giggled. She'd never seen anyone get dressed so fast in her life. Standing up, she reached for her own pants and headed to the bathroom.

As promised, Ray was at the front door within five minutes, standing with two travel cups of coffee in his hands.

'You musta been a very punctual Captain', Liz said, still amused at how quickly Ray had gone from half-asleep to ready to go.

'Of course I was, my dear. Timeliness is next to godliness on the ocean's waves'.

'I thought that was cleanliness?'

'Oh, that too. But I had minions to take care of the cleanliness', he said with a wink.

Liz took one of the coffees from him and they headed out of the apartment, through the front door and straight down to the street. She took one of Ray's hands in her own and they set off into town. Despite the fact Ray was walking with her, Liz couldn't help but feel nervous. She felt like she was being watched. And for all she knew, she was. Tom could be anywhere. He'd clearly been surveilling them for some time to be able to follow them to the zoo and to break into her apartment when they weren't there. She shuddered and gripped Ray's hand a little tighter. He looked down at her and smiled, leaning down quickly to kiss the top of her head.

'It's okay, Lizzy, I'm right here. And that scumbag isn't going to get the drop on me again, let me assure you'.

Liz released her breath and smiled back at him, touched by how in tune with her thoughts he was.

In no time at all they had reached her building and Liz opened up the doors, showing Ray into her inner office. She hurried to the desk and found her contacts book, eager to get hold of her first patient for the day. As she was making that and a few other phone calls, Ray looked around the room, studying her Board Certification and her Harvard degree and feeling impressed all over again by what a smart, capable woman she was. He turned to look back at her as she sat at her desk and his heart skipped a beat. In that moment, he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He was so in love it physically hurt him to think of her scared or in pain. Striding quickly over behind her, he rested his hands on her shoulders and bent down, dropping a long, loving kiss to the top of her head as she finished off her second call.

'What was that for?', Liz asked, smiling up at him.

'No reason at all. Just needed to', Ray replied, his voice breaking slightly as he did so.

Liz squeezed his hand and then pulled it to her mouth, kissing his knuckles. 'You're such a softy, Raymond Reddington. Now let me just make two more calls and that'll be it for the morning patients. We can go home to do the rest'.

Liz looked down at the next name in her diary. It was a new patient, Jacob Phelps. Great, she thought, that's going to make a wonderful first impression, me cancelling our first appointment. She picked up the phone and dialled the number next to the name.

'Hello?'

'Hi, this is….'

'Who is this? Oh…..'

And then the call ended. Liz looked in surprise at the telephone as if it held answers for her.

'What's wrong?'

'That, that voice….. That was Amber Gordon. Why would she….'

Ray crouched down next to Liz and peered up at her curiously, 'What do you mean?'

'I…I was calling to speak to Jacob Phelps, he's a new patient, I've never met him. But a woman answered the number next to his name. It was Amber. I don't understand what….'

Ray frowned and looked down at Liz's diary, 'How was the appointment made? Have you not spoken to this Jacob before today?'

Liz looked at Ray, processing his words. 'No, no… I remember now. I got a letter from a doctor in town, referring him to me. I called this number and left a message with an appointment time. This was only on Friday I think. I remember thinking he was lucky as I'd just had a cancellation for this morning. Then I got a text back confirming that the time was okay. But it's obviously Amber's phone. And who on earth is Jacob Phelps?'

Ray started to get a tingling feeling in his gut. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and he stood up, flexing his fists as he did so.

'I think I know exactly who 'Jacob Phelps' is. And I think I now know exactly who contacted Tom to let him know that we had been seeing each other'.

Liz looked up at Ray, realisation and shock writ large across her face, 'Oh my god. You think Amber told Tom about us? But, but why?'

'Well, without wanting to sound too arrogant, I think I did rather disappoint Amber when I spurned her advances. And I wasn't maybe quite as polite as I could have been when I did so. Maybe she thought with Tom back in town, you'd decide to give him a second chance and I'd be available again?'

'That's crazy. I'd rather hack off an arm than go back to that bastard'

'Well, I know that. But Amber won't. And she doesn't know anything about how he beat you'.

Liz dropped her head down into her hands and took a long, shuddering breath.

'Okay, let's say you're right. What do we do now?'

'Well, I think we should maybe pay Amber a visit, don't you?'

'Shouldn't we call the police?'

'Best not until we're sure. Let's go there now. Hopefully 'Jacob' will be there too'.

Liz blanched at the thought of seeing Tom again, 'I don't think I can, Ray. I…, I really don't want to see him'.

Ray took hold of her hands and led her to the door, 'Okay, sweetheart. I'll walk you home. But I'm going to go see Amber right after'.

After hanging up the phone on Liz, Amber quickly rang Tom's number. He'd left early that morning, had said he had a few errands to run before his appointment with Liz at ten. He picked up after two rings and she filled him in on what had happened.

'You idiot, why didn't you just pretend to be someone else?'

'I don't know, I panicked. I didn't recognise the number, it must've been her office phone. I'm sure she'd have recognised my voice anyway. I'm sorry, Tom, but now she might be more wary of her ten o'clock appointment'.

'You think? God, there's no way I can show up there now, she'll be too suspicious. Fuck!'

Amber waited nervously to see what Tom would say next. She'd grown increasingly wary around him of late and was glad this conversation was taking place over the phone, not in person.

'Okay, I'm going to go see what's going on at her office anyway. I'll talk to you later'.

Tom hung up and Amber bit her lip, suddenly sure that what was about to happen was not going to be in anyone's best interests. But short of calling the police and getting into trouble herself, she had no clue what to do about the situation.

After walking Liz to her apartment and ensuring she locked herself securely in, with the deadbolt engaged, Ray jumped into his car and headed to Amber's house. Liz had known where she lived as she was still living in the house her parents had left to her when they had died. Pretty much everyone in town knew where the notorious Amber Gordon lived. It was a beautiful, palatial home and Amber made sure everyone knew it was hers.

Within five minutes, Ray pulled into the driveway and strode quickly up to the front door, a look of pure fury on his face. He was desperately hoping that Tom would be inside and that this whole thing could be resolved right here and now, one way or another.

After realising that Liz wasn't in her office, Tom turned away from the door and kicked out in frustration at a trash can on the sidewalk. A woman walking past gasped in shock and he swore at her so angrily she broke into a run to get away from him. He was fuming. He had to see Liz right now. He wanted to wipe that smug, self-satisfied smile off her face once and for all. Turning towards her apartment he started running up Main Street, eager to get there and reacquaint himself with his ex-wife.

Ray hammered on the door for over thirty seconds before Amber opened it. She looked terrified and Ray instantly took a step back. As angry as he was, he had no intention of causing her harm or scaring her.

'Is Tom here?'

Amber looked stricken. She knew the game was up but she couldn't find the words she needed in that moment and so just continued to stare at Ray, feeling tears starting to form in her eyes.

'Amber, I really don't care how or why you did what you did. Not right now. But I need to speak to Tom. Is he here?'

Amber shook her head, still incapable of speech.

'Do you know where he is?'

She nodded and Ray stepped towards her, eager to hear her answer. However, this caused Amber to take two steps back and try to shut the door.

'Amber, I'm not going to hurt you', Ray said as he reached out a hand to hold the door open. 'Please, I just need to find Tom. You know this has gone too far, don't you?'

At last Amber found her voice, 'Yes….. Yes, I know. I'm sorry…..'

'Okay, good. But I need to find Tom right now. Please just tell me where he is'.

Amber nodded and pushed Ray by his chest off her doorstep, 'He's gone to Liz's office to find her. That's all I know. Now please leave'.

Ray allowed himself to be pushed away from her door and turned quickly to his car. Once Tom realised that Liz wasn't at her office, he may well head to her apartment. He had to get back there immediately.

Tom was out of breath by the time he reached Liz's. He stood with his hands on his knees for a minute to steady himself before stepping forward and starting to push all the buttons on the intercom. Nobody seemed to be home, which wasn't too surprising for this time on a Monday morning. But it just drove Tom to push the buttons harder and faster, his frustration growing by the second.

Ray pulled up and leapt out of the car, running around the back of it and straight onto Liz's pathway. He instantly saw Tom at the door and stopped himself. Tom didn't seem to be aware of his presence as he continued to work the call buttons at the door. Ray stepped up close behind him and readied himself to introduce himself to Tom in much the same way Tom himself had introduced himself to Ray. Sucker punching someone wasn't something Ray had ever done before in his life but at this moment, Ray figured Tom had brought this on himself. He pulled back his fist and drove it hard into Tom's kidney.

Tom yelped and fell straight down onto the concrete. Ray stood over him, wanting nothing more than to continue beating him, but he held himself back. He wasn't going to do more than he had to and right now Tom seemed incapable of doing anything more than groaning and writhing about.

Liz heard a cry from outside her apartment and headed to the window to look down at the front path. She gasped when she saw Ray there, standing over what could only be Tom. Oh my god, he had actually come here again to look for her. Despite her terror, she grabbed her cell phone and headed on downstairs.

Pulling open the door, she saw that Tom was still floored and Ray was just standing and staring down at him. However, her presence was instantly noted by Tom and he made a lurching movement to try to grab her leg. This gave Ray the opportunity to do what he'd been dying to do ever since that first punch. He kicked him once, hard, right in the same place he'd just hit him. Tom squealed again and all attempts at trying to reach Liz were forgotten.

Liz jumped around Tom's legs and into Ray's arms, pulling him away from Tom, 'Please, no more…. He's down. You stopped him. I don't want you getting into trouble'.

Ray pulled Liz into his chest and held her close, forcing himself to calm down, 'Okay, sweetheart, okay. No more. Now call the police, would you?'

Liz nodded and dialled the emergency number. As they stood there, awaiting the arrival of the cops, they just held each other and said nothing. Tom made no attempt to move or to speak. He knew he'd be incapable of launching an attack on either of them or even running away, he was simply in too much pain. Instead he glared at them both, an almost insane look painted across his features, his breath ragged, his eyes blazing.

The police arrived in under five minutes and Tom was taken into custody. Ray and Liz both agreed to give statements and the cops said that they'd send over the detectives who were working on the case later that day.

Ray took Liz's hand and led her up the stairs and into her apartment. Shutting the door behind them, he leant forward and rested his head against the wall, suddenly exhausted.

Liz stepped up behind him and reached around his chest, holding him tightly.

'Thank you, Ray. Thank you'.

Ray reached up and grasped hold of her hands where they met, right over his heart, 'No need to thank me, Lizzy, I did that for both of us'.

He turned then and pulled her into a proper embrace, one full of love and relief in equal measure. After a few minutes, they broke apart and went to sit down together on the couch. They were still holding hands but neither of them could think of anything else to say in that moment.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Liz smiled and looked at Ray, 'It's really all over, isn't it?'

He looked up and couldn't help but smile back at her, so happy that this terrible ordeal would no longer plague his beautiful Lizzy.

'Yeah, yeah…. All over bar the shouting I'd say'.

Liz broke out into an even bigger grin and stood up.

'So, I guess that we should celebrate. At least, a little bit'.

Ray raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, her mood enchanting him with how different she suddenly seemed after the last few days of anxiety.

'What do you have in mind?'

'Well, I was thinking… And obviously this is entirely up to you…. But maybe I could…..'

'Yes?', Ray asked, expecting Liz to drag him off to the bedroom. Or maybe the shower. Or maybe even just to launch herself at him on the couch.

'Maybe I could make you the biggest brunch you've ever eaten in your life? Pancakes, bacon, waffles…..'

She got no further suggestions out of her mouth before Ray had bounded off the couch and grabbed her hand, leading her into the kitchen.

'Oh, sweetheart, you are most definitely a keeper'.


	16. Chapter 16

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Ray stared at himself in the small mirror in the cabin. He was wearing his Navy dress whites and had just put his cap on, ready to go up on deck. A sweat had broken out on his brow and he desperately hoped the breeze up top would get rid of that. He didn't want anyone to see how nervous he was. Drawing in a shaky breath, he turned away from the mirror and made his way to the stairs to go up the few flights to the aircraft carrier's main deck. As he walked out he saw a hundred or so people gathered there, waiting for him to arrive. A lot of them were in uniform just like him but plenty were also in civilian clothing. A man approached him and shook his hand heartily,

'Good luck, Ray. Damn, you look nervous!'

Ray chuckled, 'I'm not sure I've ever been so nervous in my whole life, Eddie. I'm sweating like a pig here'.

Eddie wrapped his arm around Ray's shoulders and started to lead him towards the far end of the deck where the ceremony was to take place, 'Don't worry, man. You know you can do this. And you deserve it'.

Ray smiled at Eddie gratefully as they came to a stop. He nodded at the man in Minister's robes who was standing in front of him, a beatific smile upon his face. Ray couldn't bring himself to look at the people all crowded behind him so he just looked up and stared at the US flag fluttering lightly in the slight breeze that was washing over the deck. Now all he had to do was wait…

In the six months since Tom had been arrested and charged with various crimes, including Blackmail and Assault, Ray and Liz had managed to put the whole incident behind them relatively quickly. The trial had been hard, particularly for Liz as some of the photos from her honeymoon were given in evidence in the courtroom. However, they'd made it through it together and now Tom was going to be behind bars for at least four years.

It hadn't taken them long to move in together. Liz had moved into Ray's house and it was now their house. She'd spent a great deal of time and energy decorating it and making it into a home and now they both loved nothing more than just being there together, sipping wine on the patio, cuddling up on the couch or christening every surface of the house they could think of with their lovemaking. Life was good.

Ten minutes after Ray had come to a stop in front of the Minister, Liz left the Captain's Quarters with Samar and a few young girls, daughters of some of her friends. Samar was doing her best to corral the kids whilst Liz was trying just as hard not to fall on her ass in her four inch heels.

'Whose bright idea was it to do this on a ship anyway?', Liz huffed as she crouched and half-hopped through yet another bulkhead door.

'Do I really need to answer that, Liz?', Samar laughed as she lifted the smallest of the flower girls over the stoop.

'No…. I just hope it's not windy up there. This dress is quite light. I'm not sure I could handle that many people seeing my underwear. Or my garter', Liz finished with a wink to Samar.

Eventually they made it to their destination and were told exactly where to stand. Liz and Samar took hold of the girls' hands and braced themselves ready for the next part.

Ray was still staring at the flag when he heard the unmistakable sound of the elevator door klaxon ringing out across the deck. He turned at once and stared back. Now that she was nearly here, he found that his nerves were dissipating by the second. He stared, eager to see her emerge from the depths of the ship. All too slowly, the elevator came up and then there she was, resplendent in her white dress and surrounded by beautiful little girls in pale blue, all clutching flowers. The smile that graced his face was one filled with love and happiness. He felt tears pricking in his eyes as the raisable deck came to a halt and Liz started to move towards him and all their guests.

At that exact moment, the music started to play and the crowd all cheered briefly before returning to a more traditional silence. Liz was grateful for the music as it forced her to slow her steps so that she was walking at the same tempo. Her nerves were now getting the better of her and she reckoned she'd have almost run up the 'aisle' had it not been for the calming orchestral music that helped her to slow her pace.

Walking between all their friends and the few family either of them had left, she was glowing. She smiled at everyone and laughed and eventually felt tears of happiness starting to flow down her cheeks. Compared to her marriage to Tom this was most definitely the real thing. She knew that Ray was the one, had known within just a couple of weeks of meeting him and now they were going to be united forever.

As she got as far as Ray she looked up and saw that he too was crying and couldn't help but laugh at him.

'There's my big softy'

Ray reached out and took her hand, placing it on his arm and turning to the Minister, 'Hush now, Lizzy, my fellow sailors cannot possibly learn this of me'. He turned and winked at her and she grinned back, eager to get married to her perfect man.

The ceremony itself was traditional and the vows short but heartfelt. When it came time for the kiss, Ray lifted Liz's veil and stroked her cheek gently with his thumb before he leant down and fastened his lips to hers. She responded eagerly and reached her arms up to fasten round his neck, pulling him in closer. After a few seconds, Eddie cleared his throat and they both looked up, realising that they'd almost forgotten they had an audience.

'Sorry', Ray said, blushing a little.

'No problem, big guy. But maybe save some of your moves for the bedroom, eh?'

Liz laughed and slapped Eddie's arm as they walked past him, heading back down the aisle, man and wife. She'd gotten to know Ray's best man well over the last couple of months and she loved him dearly. Especially as he teased Ray relentlessly. Almost as much as she did. Honestly, she didn't know how the poor man coped with the two of them when they set upon him.

Back below decks, the Officers' Mess had been transformed into a dining area fit for a wedding and although it was a very tight fit to get everyone in there, nobody seemed to mind. It was noisy and fun and the alcohol was flowing freely. Although the ship was decommissioned now and acted as a floating museum for tourists, Ray had managed to wrangle the catering crew of his last command to come and act as cooks for their guests. Something they were more than happy to do. The fact that their ship was berthed just half a mile away at the Naval Docks made it easy for him to get the current Captain's permission to borrow his men for a few hours.

He sat down next to his bride and reached out under the table to rest his hand on her thigh, 'You okay?'

'Of course I am, you just made me the happiest woman in the world', Liz replied, beaming at him proudly.

Ray leant over and kissed her on her cheek, squeezing her thigh briefly before returning his hand to the table. He poured them each a glass of wine and they started to eat their starters of seafood salad and freshly baked bread.

By the end of the meal, most of the guests were happily drunk. Ray looked out over them all and sighed, 'I do wonder if it was a good idea inviting quite so many sailors to my wedding. This could get messy'.

'Oh, don't worry about them. I mean, there's still a brig on board, isn't there?'

'Good point, my dear. You are very wise in the way of drunken sailors'.

'Oh, I'm learning more every day…', Liz replied, poking Ray in his ribs.

Ray decided the time had come to start the speeches and so he tapped his wine glass with a spoon a few times until there was silence. Getting to his feet, he cleared his throat and looked out over the room. Just before he opened his mouth, he felt his hand being grasped and then Liz's lips, kissing his knuckles reassuringly. He smiled down at her and felt tears pricking his eyes yet again. I really am the most fortunate man to walk the earth he thought to himself as he turned forwards once more and started his speech.

As Liz's father had sadly passed away she decided she would give the father of the bride's speech herself. She wasn't used to public speaking at all but stood for ten minutes, talking briefly about her father and her upbringing and also about Ray and how finding him had made her feel invincible and worshipped. By the end of it, both she and Ray were in tears again and when she sat down there was a huge round of applause as the two of them huddled together and kissed.

Eddie's speech helped to lighten the mood. His tales of Ray's younger days went down a storm with all the guests and Liz. Ray himself spent most of the time studying the pattern on his dessert plate and trying hard not to blush too hard. He cursed Eddie's seemingly infallible memory and then cursed even louder when he realised that Liz must've given him some of the photos from his father's photo album as pictures of Ray in the bath as a toddler, a bit older with a shocking haircut and then in his late teens wearing the tightest jeans known to man were displayed to the delight of the room. When Eddie sat down, Ray looked along the table and glared at him. Eddie just grinned back and raised his wine glass in a toast.

Following on from the meal, everyone made their way through to one of the storage areas of the ship. The whole area had been decorated beautifully and there was a live band setting up plus a bar. Ray and Liz took to the floor for their first dance. They hadn't rehearsed anything specifically as they both felt that they'd rather just approach the whole thing more traditionally. The song they'd chosen was 'Green Eyes' by Coldplay. Liz's choice but Ray had heartedly agreed, the lyrics resonating for them both.

At the end of the evening, all the guests, even Eddie, left the ship and Ray was left to escort his beautiful new bride to the Captain's Quarters. Ordinarily there would only be a single bed in there but space had been cleared in the main part of the room and a double bed put in just for the night.

Walking hand in hand through the ship, Ray stopping to help Liz step through every bulkhead door, neither of them could stop smiling. They were both happily exhausted and a little tipsy, although neither of them had gotten too drunk. They didn't want to forget a single thing about today. Eventually they reached the door and Ray pushed it open before turning to Liz.

'Now, this isn't going to be easy due to the width of the door but…', he started as he scooped Liz up into his arms and kissed her.

Liz giggled and tucked her body against him as much as she could. He stepped sideways into the doorway and they just managed to squeeze through together. He then carried her over to the bed and laid her down, kissing her again as she lay there. As they broke the kiss, Liz looked about and saw that since her time in the cabin earlier when she had gotten ready, someone had been in here to place flowers everywhere, along with petals and candles.

'Oh, Ray, it's beautiful'

'Good. Then you fit right in, sweetheart'

She reached up and cupped his cheeks, gazing into his eyes.

'Go shut the door, Admiral. I have plans for you'.

'Yes, Ma'am'

Ray hurried to the door and shut it, locking it for extra measure. He then turned to gaze upon his bride, lying across the bed, staring back at him, a smile upon her face he knew only too well. She bit her lip and then patted the bed in front of her. He toed off his shoes and then returned to her side, throwing his cap towards a chair as he did so.

'So, husband….. You got any plans for this evening?', Liz asked as she started to unbutton his uniform jacket.

'Well, there's a ball game on in about twenty minutes…..'

Liz tightened his tie just enough to stop him talking and narrowed her eyes at him.

'However, I think I could probably give it a miss', Red laughed as he loosened his tie enough to get the words out.

'That's good. Because I have exactly zero intention of allowing you to leave this bed until I'm so exhausted that I sleep for a week'

'Is that a challenge, Mrs Reddington?'

'I guess so'

'I love a challenge. And I'm fairly certain that I'm up for this one'.

Liz reached over and cupped his erection, already straining in his pants, 'Yes, that seems to be an accurate assessment'.

Ray laughed and rolled Liz over onto her front, hoping he could work out how the hell to get her out of the dress without ripping it. Thankfully he managed it easily and pulled it away, placing it on the chair next to the bed. He turned back and stared at her, resplendent in her underwear, the blue garter causing him to gulp loudly.

Liz laughed at him and pulled him back towards her, 'I love you, Ray. Today has been perfect. And I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together'.

'Me neither, my sweet Lizzy'

Ray kissed her now, harder than before and Liz's hands continued in their previous task of unbuttoning and undressing her man. Before too long they were both completely naked and Ray was hovering over her, his mouth and hands everywhere at once.

'Ray, make love to me. Make love to me as a husband makes love to his wife for the first time'.

He balanced himself on his elbows and looked her in the eyes, edging his length slowly into her as he did so. They both groaned as he filled her completely and started to move his hips just the way she loved it.

That night they made love a further four times, each taking it in turn to wake the other after only a couple of hours sleep at a time. Their first night together was perfect and everything either of them had hoped it would be. It was the start of a marriage that could not have been happier and filled with more joy. Two soul mates bound together and perfect for each other.

THE END

Thank you to all who took the time to read this. Especially during some of the longer gaps between updates…..

And an extra special thank you to Dreamlover83, my beta and inspiration. This was her prompt I worked from and she gave me countless ideas and loads of support throughout.


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